UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
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FATHKK   JINIPKRO   SERRA,    FROM    DOUGLAS   TILDEN'S   STATUE 
rrt-scntcil  tn  the  City  of  San  Francisco  by  Jar^es  D.  Phelan 


HISTORl 


7 


OF 


SAN  DIEGO 


1542-1908 


AN     ACCOUNT     OF     THE     RISE     AND    PROGRESS    OF    THE 

PIONEER    SETTLEMENT    ON    THE    PACIFIC 

COAST    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES 


VOLUME  I. 

OLD  TOWN 

BY 

WILLIAM    E.    SMYTHE 

Autlior  of  ""The  Conquest  of  Arid  America,"  "Constructive  Democracy,"  Etc. 


SAN  DIEGO 

THE  HISTORY  COMPANY 
1908 

49139 


Copyrit'lit  1907  by 

\\  ii.MAM  i:.  smythp: 


\ 


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•  *        •     *  . 


•••••••     •  • 

•    •••••••• 


•.•    »••    •••    •     • 


FOR  THE   FRIENDSHIP  OF  THE 
PEOPLE   OF  SAN  DIEGO 


V  b(d 


0-, 


1 

Contents 

Page 

Dedication     12 

liist  of  Illustrations    12 

List  of  Works  Consulted   12 

■^  Author 's    Foreword     17 

Introduction:     The  Historical  Pre-eminence  of  San  Diego 21 

PART  ONE 

PERIOD  OF  DISCOVERY  AND  MISSION  RULE 

i)^  Chapter. 

•4  I.     The    Spanish    Explorers 27 

■^  II.     Beginnings  of  the  Mission  Epoch 37 

N\,^  III.     The  Taming  of  the  Indian    48 

IV.     The  Day  of  Mission   Greatness 60 

V.     The  End  of  Franciscan  Rule    71 

Priests  of   San   Diego   Mission 76 

PART  TWO 

.\  WHEN  OLD  TOWN  WAS  SAN  DIEGO 

'^  I.  Life  on  Presidio 'Hill  Under  the  Spanish  Flag 81 

List  of  Spanish  and  Mexican   Commandants 96 

II.  Beginnings   of    Agriculture    and    Commerce ^98. 

jl  List  of  Ranchos  in  San  Diego  County 112 

V)'  III.  Political  Life  in  Mexican  Days ' 114 

IV.  Early  glomes,  Visitors  and  Families 131 

V.  Pleasant  Memories  of  Social  Life 142 

VI  Prominent    Spanish    Families 161 

VII  The  Indians'  Relations  With   the   Settlers 178 

List  of  Mission  Indian  Lands 198 

VIII.  San  Diego  in  the  Mexican  War 200 

IX.  Public  Affairs  After  the   War 228 

X.  Accounts  of  Early  Visitors  and  Settlers 238 

XL  Annals  of  the  Close  of  Old  San  Diego 250 

XII.  American  Families  of  the   Early  Time 266 

XIII.  The  Journalism  of  Old  San  Diego 295 

XIV.  Abortive  Attempt  to  Establish  Xew  San  Diego 316 

PART  THREE 

THE  HORTON  PERIOD 

I.  The  Founder  of  the  Modern  City 326 

■   II.  Horton  's    Own    Story    ' 332 

m.  Early  Railroad  Efforts,  Including  the  Texas  and   Pacific 352 

IV.  San  "  Diego 's  First   Boom 366 

V.  Some  Aspects  of  Local  Life 37(1. 

PART  FOUR 

PERIOD  OF  "THE  GREAT  BOOM" 

1.     Coming  of  the  Santa  Fe 391 

II.     Phenomena  of  the  Great  Boom 413 


6  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Chapter  Page 

JII.     CiKWlh    of    I'lilili.-    IJlililics 435 

1\'.      \V:itiT     |)i'vclii|niiriit     443 

l>AR  I   I  ivi-: 

TIIK  LAST  TWO  DECADES 

I.      L(..;il   .\iin;ils,   Al'lcr   tlir   I'.niuii 455 

II.      r.)lili.;il    All'iiirs   .iiid    M  iiiiifijiai    Campaigns 464 

111.      l„itci    .li.iinialisiri    ami    Jjitcratnrc 471) 

I\'.      The    [>isastcr   Id    the   Bcmiin-ilou 503 

\'.      I'lic  'ruciil  icili  Conturv   Days 507 

\i.     .iuliii    1).  Si>nM'k(>ls  Solves  tlie    Railroad   Problem 529 

PART  SIX 

INSTITUTIONS  OF  CIVIC  LIFE 

T.  dmri'lies    ami    IJcligioiis    Ijit'e 537 

1 1 .  Siliiiols   and    I'lducatioa 568 

III.  JJeeords  of   the  Bench   and   Bar 582 

W.  (Irowth   of   the   :Medical    Profession 5yS 

V.  The    PuMic     Library 610 

VI.  Story  of   the   City   Parks .' 616 

\\l.  The    Chamber    of    Commerce 624 

VIII.  Banks   and   Banking    636 

IX.  Secret,  Fraternal   and   Other  Societies 648 

X.  .Xr-connf   of   the   Fire    Department 665 

PART  SEVEN 

MISCELLANEOUS  TOPp-'S 

I.     History  of   tlie   San  Diego  Climate ,'  675 

II.     San  Diego  Bay,  Ilarhor  and   River '  687 

m.     Governmental    Activities    697 

IV.  The  Snbnrbs  of  San  Diego 7Q6 

V.     Political    Roster 719 

{ 


Li^t  of  Publications  Consulted  in 
the  Preparation  of  this  Work .  .  . 

A  la  California;  Sketches  of  Life  in  tlie  Golden  State,  by  Colonel  AJbert 
S.   Evans,   1873. 

A    Narrative    of    Voyages    and    Commercial   Enterprises,    by    Richard    J. 
Cleveland,    Cambridge,    1842. 

Annals  of  San  Francisco,  by  Soule,  Gihon  and  Nisbet,  1854. 

Argonauts  of    "49,   by  David  E.   Leeper,   1894. 

Argument   on  Behalf   of   the   Kansas   Pacific   Railway   Company,   by  Ar- 
temas  H.  Holmes,  New  York,  1877. 

Annals  of   California,   1860. 

Army   of   the   United   States,    1789   to    1896,   by   T.   F.   Rodenbaugh   and 
W.   L.  Haskill,  New  York. 

A  Truthful  Woman  in  Southern  California,  by  Kate  Sanborn,  1894. 

Before  the  Gringo   Came,  by  Gertrude  Atherton. 

Cabrillo  's  Voyage,  Appendix  to  Part  I,  Translation  of  the  Account  of, 
by  Richard  Stuart  Evans. 

Cabrillo 's    Voyage,    by   Bartholome    Ferrelo;    U.    S.    Geogi-aphic    Survey, 
Vol.  VII,  1879;  Archeology. 

Cabrillo 's  Voyage,  by  R.  S.  Evans;  U.  S.  Geographic  Survey,  Vol.  VII, 
1879;    Archaeology. 

California  350  Years  Ago, '  1888. 

California;    A  History  of  Upper  and  Lower,  etc.,  by  Alexander  Forbes, 
London,  1839. 

California  As  It  Is,  San  Francisco  Call,   1888. 

California    for    Health,    Pleasure    and    Residence,    by    Charles    Nordhoflf, 
1882. 

California  Historical  Society,  Publications  of  the 

California  in  1837;  Diary  of  Colonel  Philip  L.  Edwards,  1890. 

California  In  Doors  and  Out,  by  Eliza  \Y.  Farnham,  1856. 

California  Inter  Pocula,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft  (Vol.  35  in  the  series),  1848- 
1856. 

California  Life,  by  William  Taylor,  1858. 

California  Missions  and  How  to  Get  There;  Mrs.  A.  S.  C.  Forbes,  1903. 

California   of   the  Padres,  by  Mrs.   E.   Hughes. 

California  of  the  South,  by  Lindley  and  Widney,  1888. 

California  Pastoral,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft  (Vol.  34  in  the  series),  1769-1848. 

California  Pictures  in  Prose  and  Verse,  by  Benjamin  Parke  Avery,  1885. 

California  Sketches,  by  Leonard  Kip. 

Californien.  Land  und  Leute;  von  Robert  von  Schlagintweit.  1871. 

Centennial   History   of   Los   Angeles    County. 

Charter  and  By-Laws  of  the  Southern  Trans-Continental  Ry.  Co. ;  Wash- 
ington, 1870. 

Chinigchinich,  by  Padre  Jerenimo  Boseana;  New  York.  1846. 

Chronicles  of  the  Builders,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft. 

City  and  County  of  San  Diego,  by  T.  S.  Van  Dyke,  1888. 

Climate,   Productions,    etc.,   of   San   Diego,   by   Douglas    Gunn,    Chamber 
of  Commerce,  1885. 

Conquest    of    New   Mexico    and    California,    etc.,    by    Colonel    Philip    St. 
George  Cooke,  1878. 

Diary  of  Father  Palou,  on  Serra's  first  journey  through  Alta  California. 

Discovery  of  Our  Pacific  Coast,  by  R.  A.  Thompson   (in  Out  West  Mag- 
azine). 

Documentary    History    of    the    Military    Occupation    of    California,    etc., 
1846-1849.     In  the  collection  of  e".  W.  Morse. 


8  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Early   Knglisb  Voyages  to  the  Pacific  Coast  of  America;  V7oodes  Eoger.s 
(Keprint  in  Out   West  Maga/.iiu'). 

El  Dorado,  by  Bavard  Tavlor. 

El  Dorado,  by  D.  A.  Shaw,   1900. 

Father  Juuipero  and   the  Mission  Indians  of   California,  by  Mrs.   H.   H. 
Jackson,    19u2. 

Glimpses  of  California   and  Its  Missions;   Mrs.  H.  H.  Jackson,   1902.     . 

Historical   Account    of    the   Indians   of    California,    Father   Boscana  's. 

Historical  Society  of  Southern  California,  Publications  of 

History  of  Ancient  or  Lower  California,  by  Clavijero. 

History   of   California,   b^*  11.   H.   Bancroft. 

Historj-  of  California,  by  Hittell,  4   vols.,   1885. 

History  of  Catholic  Missions  in  the  U.  S.,  by  J.  G.  Shea,  New  York,  1855. 

History  of  San  Diego  County,  etc.;  Wallace  W.  Elliott  &  Co.,  1883. 

History  of  San  Francisco,  bj"  Hittell,  1878. 

History  of   Southern   California,   An   Illustrated;    The   Lewis   Publishing 

Company,   Chicago,  1890. 
History  of  the  State  of  California,  by  John  Frost,  1859. 
History  of  the  City  of  San  Francisco,  by  Jno.  W.   Dwinelle,  San  Fran- 
cisco, 1866. 
Horton   Genealogy. 

In  and  Out  of  the  Old  Missions,  by  George  Wharton  James. 
In  the  Footprints  of  the  Padres;   Charles  Warren  Stoddard,  1902. 
Information   Eelative   to   the    City   of   San   Diego    (and   Business   Direc- 
tory);  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1874. 
Kearny,  General  Stephen  W.,  Life  of 
Land   of  Sunshine. 

Life  in  California,  by  Alfred  Eobinsou. 
Manuelita,  by  Marian  C.  Wilson. 

Mediterranean  Shores  of  America,  by  P.   C.  Remondino,  M.  D. 
Memoirs  of  My  Life,  by  John  C.  Fremont,  1887. 
Millionaires  of  a  Day,  by  Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke,  1890. 
Missions  of  California;  Laura  Bride  Powers,   1897. 
Missions  of  New  California;    Charles  F.  Carter,   1900. 
My  First   California  Pastorate,  by  Bishop  Wm.  Ingraham  Kip. 
Native  Races,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft  "(5  vols.),  San  Francisco,  1882-3. 
Natural  Wealth  of  California,  by  T.  F.  Chronise,  1868. 
Notes   of    a   Military   Reconnaissance    from   Fort    Leavenworth    in    Mis- 
souri  to    San   Diego   in    California,   by   W.   H.   Emory,   Washington, 
1848,   Senate   Document. 
Notes  on  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railway  (official) ;  Philadelphia,  1873. 
Noticias  de  la  Nueva  California,  bv" Padre  Francisco  Palou;   Historical 

Documents,  Tomes  VI-VII. 
Old  California  Days,  by  James  Steele,  1889. 
On  the  Trail  of  a  Spanish  Pioneer;  the  Diary  and  Itinerarv  of  Francisco 

Garees    (Missionary  Priest),   1775-1776;    1900. 
One  Thousand  Liars,  by  James  Edward  Friend. 
Our  Centennial  Memoirs,  by  P.  J.  Thomas,  San  Francisco. 
Our  Italy,  by  Charles  Dudley  Warner,   1891. 
Out  West  ^Magazine. 
Overland  Monthly. 

Personal  Narrative  of  Explorations  and  Incidents  in  Texas,  New  Mex- 
ico, California,  etc.,  by  John  Russell  Bartlett;   New  York  and  Lon- 
don,  1854. 
Phoenixiana,  by  Lieut.  George  H.  Derby. 
Picturesque  San  Diego,  by  Douglas  Gunn,  1887. 
Popular  Tribunals,  by  H.  H.  Bancroft. 


LIST  OF  PUBLICATIONS  CONSULTED  9 

Eamona,  bj'  Helen  Hunt  Jackson. 

EecoUections  of  Pioneer  Work  iu  California,  by  Eev'.  James  Woods,  1878. 

Eegulations    for    the    Government    of    tlie    Provinces    of    California,    by 

Governor  Felipe   de   Neve;    San   Carlos,   1779. 
Eelacion  de  la  Vida  del  Junipero  Serra,  by  Padre  Francisco  Palou;  Mex- 
ico,  1787. 
Eeport  of  Survey  for  the  Southern  Pacific  E.  E.,  by  A.  B.  Gray,   1854. 
Eeport    of    U.    S.    Geographical    Surveys    West    of    the    100th    Meridian; 

Vol.  VII,  Archajology,  1879. 
Eeport  of   Viceroy   Eevilla   Sigedo   on    California,   1768-1793    (Eeprint   in 

Out   West  Magazine). 
Eesources   of  California,  by  Hittell,   1879. 
Ehymes  of  the  Missions,  by  Will  H.  Holcomb. 

Eomance   of   the   Age,   or  the  Discovery  of   Gold  in   California,   by   Ed- 
ward  E.   Dunbar,    1867. 
San  Diego  and  Southern  California;  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1870. 
San  Diego  City  and  County;   Chamber  of  Commerce,  1888. 
San  Diego  County,  California;   Chamber  of  Commerce,  1890. 
San  Diego  County  Illustrated;  W.  W.  Elliott  &  Co.,  San  Francisco,  1883. 
San  Diego  Publications: 
Bulletin. 
Golden  Era. 
Herald,   1851-1860. 
San  Diegan. 
San  Diegan-Sun. 
"  Silver  Gate. 
Sun. 
Union. 
Seeking  the  Golden  Fleece,  hy  J.  D.  B.  Stillman,  1877. 
Semi-Tropical  California,  by  Major  Ben  C.  Truman,  1874. 
Serra,    Life    of   the    Venerable   Padre   Junipero,    by    Very    Eev.    Francis 

Palou,  translated  by  Very  Eev.  J.  Adam;   San  Francisco,   1884. 
Sixteen  Months  at  the  Gold  Diggings,  by  Daniel  B.  Woods,  1851. 
Sixty  Years  in  Soiithern  California,  by  William  Heath  Davis,  1889. 
Southern  California,  by  Douglas  Gunn,  1886. 
Southern  Califoruia',  by  T.  S.  Van  Dyke,   1886. 
Southern   California   Guide  Book;   George   E.   Place   &  Co.,  Los   Angeles, 

1886. 
Southern    California    Illustrated,    bv    S.    L.    Welch;    Warner    Bros.,    Los 

Angeles,    1886-7,    1887-8. 
Spanish  America,  by  E.  H.  Bonnycastle,   Captain  in  the  Corps  of  Eoy- 

al   Engineers;   London,   1818.      2   vols. 
Spanish   Institutions    of   the    Southwest,   by   Prof.    Frank    W.    Blackmar 

(Johns  Hopkins  Series  of  Historical  Studies),   1891. 
Stockton,  Commodore  Eobert  F.,  Life  of;  New  York,  1856. 
Story  of  San  Diego,  by  Walter  Gifford  Smith,  1892. 
Texas    &    Pacific    Eailwav;    Eoute,    Progress,    Land    Grants,    etc.;    New 

York,    1872. 
The   Golden  State  and  Its  Eesources,  by  John  J.  Powell,   1874. 
The  Italy  of  America;   Chamber  of  Commerce,  18 — . 

The  Land  of  Gold,  or  Three  Years   in   California,  by  Eev.   Walter   Col- 
ton,  1866. 
The   Spanish   Press   of    California    (1833-44),    by    Eobert   E.    Cowan    (in 

Overland  Monthly). 
The  Squatter  and  the  Don,  by  C.  Loyal;  San  Francisco,  1885. 
Tour  of  Duty  in  California,  by  Jos.  W.  Eevere. 
Two  Years  Before  the  Mast,  bv  Eichard  Henrv  Dana,  Jr. 


10  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Viage  de  la  Expedicion  de  Terra  de  San  Diego  de  Monterey,  by  Padre 
Juan  Crespi;  Documentary  History  of  Mexico,  Tome  VI. 

Voyage  of  Discovery  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  by  George  Vancouver, 
London,   1798. 


Li^  of  Illustrations 

Page 

Frontispiece,  Father  Junipero  Serra,  from  Douglas  Tilden's  Statuo 

Medallion  given  an  Indian  Girl  by  Father  Serra 24 

Ship   of    Cabrillo's  Time 29 

Jnan   Eodriquez    Cabrillo 30 

San   Diego    de    Alcala 32 

Carlos    III 38 

I'acsimile  of  the  Title  Pago  of  the  Costanso 41 

Father    Junipero    Serra 44 

I'acsimile  of  a  page  from  the  Diary  of  Father  Serra 46 

Famous  Palms   of   Old  Town |.  .  50 

Statue  of  Father  Serra  at  Monterey 55 

The    Old    Mission    Dam ' 62 

Old  Mission   of   San  Diego  de  Alcala 67 

Mission    Eelics    69 

Ruin  of   San  Diego   Mission 74 

Rough  Plan  of  Presidio   Hill 83 

Presidio    Hill   of    Todav 86 

Old  Cannon,  ' '  El  Capitan, ' '  and  ' '  El  Nino  " 91 

Burial  of  James  O.  Pattie  on  Presidio  Hill 93 

Judge   Witherby's   Chair 94 

Richard    Henry    Dana     102 

William    Heath    Davis    108 

Pio  Pico    115 

Aquirre  House,  Old  Town 118 

Augustin  V.  Zamorano   120 

Serrano  House,  Old  Town 122 

Capt.    Henry    D.    Fitch 124 

Juan    Bandini    126 

Machado   House.    Old   Town 132 

Estudilio   House.    Old    Town .    .■ 133 

Old   San   Diego   in   1846 146 

Bandini    House.    Old    Town 150 

Wrightington    House.    Old   Town 155 

Mrs.   Henry   D.   Fitch 159 

View  of  Old  San  Diego 181 

Col.  Warner  of  Warner's  Ranch 188 

Col.  J.  Bankhead  Magruder 193 

Robert    D.    Israel 196 

Capt.    Samuel  F.   Dupont 201 

Mrs.  Arcadia   de  Baker 203 

Miguel   de   Pedrorena    205 

Santiago   E.   Arguello    207 

Commodore    Robert  F.    Stockton 211 

Lieut.   Edward   F.   Beale    215 

Sketch  of  the  actions  fought  at  San  Pasqual.  .  .  .  - 217 

Ruins  of  Fort  Stockton  on  the  Hill  above  Old  Town 221 

Gen.    Andres   Pico 225 

Gen.    Stephen   W.   Kearny 226 

Jose   Guadalupe   Estudilio    239 

Jose    Antonio    Altamirano 240 

George  A.  Pendleton's  House,  Old  Town 242 

Present    Appearance   of    House    in    Old    Town    where   Richard    Henry 

Dana  took  dinner  with  R.  E.  Doyle  in  1859 245 

Alfred  C.  Robinson    246 


12  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Page 

Eichaid  J.   Cleveland    .  .  .  , ^*'' 

Mrs.    Carson    -"^^ 

House  of  John  C.  Stewart,  Old  Town 2o2 

House  and  Store  of  Thomas  Whaley,  Old  Town 2o3 

John   G.   Capron    255 

Old   Town    School    ^-^o 

The  Famous  Bells  at  the  Old  Town  Church 25/ 

Louis    Rose    — ^° 

House  of  Albert  B.  Smith,  Old  Town 259 

Lopez  House,  Old  Town   260 

View  of  Old  Town  in  1906 261 

Remaii^  of  Old  Jail  at  Old  Town 262 

Jose   Antonio    Serrano    263 

Philip    Crosthwaite    271 

"Squire"  Ensworth    275 

D.  B.  Kurtz   278 

Ephraim  W.  Morse    283 

Mr.   and   Mrs.   Thomas   Whaley 291 

James  MeCov    279 

William  H.  Xoyes    301 

Lieutenant    George    H.    Derby 313 

' '  The   Hermitage  "    319 

Charles  P.  Xoell   321 

George   A.   Pendleton    332 

Alonzo  E.  Horton,  as  he  appeared  in  1867 334 

"Father"  Horton  in  his  ninetv-fourth  year 335 

Capt.  S.  S.  Dunnells    ' ' 338 

Dnnnells'  Hotel,  comer  State  and  F  Streets 339 

Corner  of  Fifth  and  D  Streets,  in  1872 341 

•Joseph   S.   !Mannasse    348 

James   W.    Robinson    355 

Thomas  L.   Xesmith    359 

Thomas   A.   Scott    364 

San   Diego   in    1872 367 

The  Horton   House,   1870-1905 370 

View  of  San  Diego  in  1873 373 

Fifth   and  B  Streets  in   1875 377 

North  Side  of  K  Street  in  the  early   '70 's 378 

Corner  of  Seventh  and  A  Streets  in"  1875 380 

Looking  up  Fifth  Street  from  K,  about  1875 381 

View  Taken  from  First  and  C  Streets,  about   1875 384 

Gordon   &  Hazzard  's  Store 385 

Frank  A.  Kimball   395 

D.  0.  McCarthy    402 

M.  A.  Luce    .  .' 403 

Warren    C.    Kimball    409 

Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke 415 

Hotel  del  Coronado,  during  Construction 417 

Pierce-Morse  Block    420 

Horton  Building   422 

The  old  :Marston  Store  at  Fifth  and  F  Streets 423 

Court  House  as  it  Originally  Appeared 425 

Steamer  Santa  Rosa    426 

Captain  E.  .\lexander   427 

Robert  W.  Waterman    429 

A^iew  of  the  City  from  Eighth  and  -\   Streets  in  1888 430 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  13 

Page 

First  Baud  in  8au  Diego,  organized  iu  1878 431 

Waldo  S.  Waterman    440 

Dedication  of  the  San  Diego  Flume 447 

Sweetwater  Dam  in  Course  of  Construction 448 

E.  S.  Babcock 449 

C.  S.  Alverson    450 

D.  Choate   456 

Jesse   Gillmore    457 

H.   C.   Gordon    457 

Geo.   W.  Bowler    457 

G.  C.  Arnold    457 

"Bum"   |.  .  .  463 

Douglas  Gunn    .■ .  .  .  465 

William  W.  Bowers   466 

Mathew  Sherman   467 

D.  C.  Eeed   468 

A.  E.  Nutt   469 

D.  L.  Withington    469 

M.  L.  Ward   469 

L.  A.  Wright   469 

Frank  P.   Frary    470 

Captain  John  L.  Sehon 471 

John  F.  Forward    472 

Archie  F.  Crowell 473 

Claude    Woolman    473 

Charles  Kellv   473 

F.  .1.  Goldkanip 473 

Eugene  E.  Shaffer   474 

John   IT.   Ferry    475 

Lewis  R.  Kirbv    475 

M.   M.   Moulton    475 

W.  H.   Francis    475 

Charles  S.  Hardy 477 

Wm.  Jeff.   Gatewood   481 

J.   X.  Briseno    482 

Edward  W.  Bushyhead   483 

Office  of  the  Union 485 

John  R.  Berry   486 

James    Maemullen    487 

PJdmund  F.   Parmalee 487 

William  H.  Gould 488 

Major  Ben   C.  Truman    489 

Joseph   D.  Lynch    489 

Jacob  M.  Julian    490 

W.  H.  Porterfield   492 

Walter  T.  Blake    493 

F.  D.  Waite   493 

Ha  rr    Wagner    495 

INladge  Morris   (Mrs.  Wagner) 495 

Walter   Gifford    Smith    497 

Rose  Hartwick  Thorpe   498 

Will  H.  Holcomb    499 

The  '  •'  Bennington "    504 

Louis  J.  Wilde   507 

D.   C.  Collier    508 

Ralph   Granger    509 


14  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Page 

E.  Bartlett    Webster    •"'1'^ 

U.  S.  Grant,  Jr l]\ 

M.  W.  Folsom   '^l- 

0.  W.  Cotton   •'^1^ 

Ed  Fletcher   513 

Frank  A.  Salmons   ^^^ 

L.  L.  Boone   51f 

Henrv  Timkin   . •'51-" 

diaries  L.  Warfield   516 

F.  L.   Hieatt    516 

Arthur   Cosgrove    517 

M.  Hall   .  . 517 

Charles   L.   Josselyn    518 

T.  Isaac  Irwin    518 

E.    Strahlmann    519 

August  Sensenbrenner 519 

J.  P.   Haddock    519 

Melville  Klauber    519 

U.  S.  Grant  Hotel  in  Course  of  Construction 520 

E.  J.  Carter 521 

Grant    Conard    521 

1.  D.  Rogers  521 

E.  J.  Swayne  521 

Marco    Bruschi     523 

A.  Klauber  523 

Levis   Brinton  's    House    524 

Mrs.   IMitchell's  House    525 

The  Steele  Block    527 

Glimpse  of  South   Park 528 

Front  Page  of  Union  of  December  14.  1906 529 

John  T).   Spreckels    531 

G.  A.  D  'Hemecourt   533 

Father  Antonio  D.  ITbach    538 

Father  ITbach 's  funeral    539 

First  Church  building  in  New  San  Diego 541 

Daniel   Cleveland    542 

Rev.   Sidney  Wilbur    543 

Henry    B.   Restarick    545 

Rev.   Charles  Tj.  Barnes    545 

First  Methodist  Church    547 

First  Free  Methodist  Church    549 

Old  Ba])tist  Church    551 

First   Baptist    Church    552 

Rev.  W.  B.  Hinson    553 

Old  Presbyterian  Church    554 

Rev.  R.  g".  Wallace   555 

Rev.  S.  J.  Shaw-   555 

Rev.  E.  R.  Watson   557 

First  Congregational  Church    559 

Rev.  W.  E.  Crabtree   561 

New  Home  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A 565 

Floral  tribute  on  Father  Ubach  's  grave    567 

Duncan    Mackinnon     572 

Middletown     School     573 

B  Street   School    .'574 

Sherman     School     575 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  15 

Page 

Logan  Heights  School   ;37(; 

Franklin    School     573 

W.  E.  Guy ..........  579 

State  Normal  School   580 

Oliver  S.  Witherby   584 

Benjamin    Hayes    585 

W.  T.  McJSTealy 586 

Levi   Chase    587 

Xorman    H.    Conklin     588 

E.  S.   Torrance    589 

George   Puterbaugh    590 

W.  E.  Andrews 591 

Henry  E.   Mills    594 

W.   A.   Sloane    594 

S.   S.  Knoles    594 

E.  W.  Hendrick   594 

H.    E.    Doolittle    595 

Patterson   Sprigg    595 

Sam.  Ferry  Smith    595 

Eugene    Daney    595 

Countv  .Court  House    597 

Dr.  David   B.    Hoffman    599 

Dr.  John   S.   Griffin    600 

Dr.  Eobert  J.  Gregg    602 

Dr.  Thouins   C.    Stockton    603 

Dr.  P.    C.    Eemondino    604 

Dr.  Fred   Baker    605 

Dr.  P.   J.   Parker    605 

Dr.  A.  J.   Elliott    605 

Dr.  Joseph    C.   Hearne    605 

Dr.  David  Gochenauer    606 

Dr.  C.    C.   Valle    607 

Building  used  by  Drs.  Stockton  and  Eemondino  as  a  Sanitarium.  .  .  .  608 

County  Hospital   609 

Public  Libraiy    611 

George  W.  Marston   618 

George   Cooke    620 

Torrev    Pines 622 

W.   l";   Frevert    627 

George    H.   Ballon    .• 627 

Homer  H.  Peters   629 

H.  P.  Wood   630 

James   A.   Jasper    630 

Philip  Morse    631 

Simon   Levi    631 

J.   S.   Akerman    631 

Dr.   Edward   Grove    631 

Bank  of  San  Diego 638 

Commercial  Bank  of  San  Diego    639 

George  W.  Fishburn    640 

J.   W.  Sef ton    641 

Galusha  B.  Grow    643 

M.   T.   Gilmore    644 

Fred    Jewell     644 

A.   Blochman    644 

Ti.   A.  Blochman    644 


16  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Page 

Julius  Wangeuheiui    645 

W.  K.  Rogers  645 

Charles  L.  Williams    645 

G.  Aubrey  Davidson    645 

Carl  Alex.  Johnson    646 

W.  H.   Hubbard    646 

Thos.  R.  Darnall    652 

E.  T.  Blackmer   656 

Col.  E.  V.  Dodge   658 

John  B.  Osborn   659 

Herbert   A.  Croghan    663 

A.  B,   Cairnes 667 

Richard  A.  Shute  669 

Ford  A.  Carpenter   676 

Rain   Map   of   California    677 

Rainfall  Chart  of  San  Diego  County   678 

Point  Loma  and  the  Silver  Gate  690 

Battleships  in  the  Harbor   fi92 

La  Playa,  showing  Quarantine  Station,  etc 698 

Lighthouse  on  Ballast   Point    699 

Old  Government  Barracks   700 

Coronado   Tent   City    708 

Automobile  Track  at  Lakeside    710 

C.  D.  Rolfe    711 

View  of  La  Jolla 712 

Katherine    Tingley    716 


AUTHOR'S  FOREWORD 

X  WRlTrX(;  this  ])()()k  I  h;ive  kept  several  cl)- 
jects  pfoiniih'iitly  in  ]iiincl.  First  of  all.  I 
have  aimed  to  make  a  faithful  collection  of 
all  essential  facts  pertaining  to  the  history  of 
San  Diego,  fi-om  the  day  of  its  discovery  bv 
Europeans  down  to  the  time  in  which  we  are 
living.  To  this  end,  i)ublic  records  have  been 
examined ;  scores  of  volumes  of  history,  bi- 
ogra[)hy,  reminiscence,  even  of  fiction,  have  been  studied;  news- 
paper tiles  have  been  patiently  searched;  and  living  pioneers  have 
been  interview^ed  by  stenographers.  In  this  Inint  for  information 
I  have  constantly  employed  one  exceedingly  competent  assistant 
and,  for  nuicli  of  the  time,  two  or  three  others.  As  a  result, 
materials  have  been  collected  in  excess  of  my  ability  to  use 
them  in  this  volume,  but  they  will  be  preserved  in  some  i)ublic 
place  for  the  benefit  of  students  and  of  the  future  historian. 

In  the  second  phice,  I  have  endeavored  to  save  from  ob- 
livion the  rich  traditions  which  cluster  about  the  life  of  Old 
San  Diego,  a  place  which  has  all  but  perished  from  the  earth, 
yet  which  should  ever  ]iossess  an  alisorliing  interest  not  only 
for  those  who  dwell  about  the  shores  of  San  Diego  Bay,  but  for 
all  students  of  American  history.  Ph-mouth,  Massachusetts,  is 
a  place  of  no  great  modern  importance,  yet  it  is  one  of  the 
shrines  of  the  American  people  and  the  traditions  of  its  set- 
tlement and  growth  in  the  quiet  years  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury have  been  written  again  and  again,  arid  will  be  read  with 
fascinated  interest  by  all  future  generations.  Old  San  Diego 
possesses  much  the  same  historical  pre-eminence,  but  its  claims 
have  been  neglected  by  nearly  all  Avriters  of  American  history, 
including  those  who  prepare  text-books  for  our  children.  It  is, 
therefore,  without  apology  that  a  large  portion  of  this  work  is 
devoted  to  Old  Town,  including  some  "'ccount  of  the  Spanish 
and  American  families  who  were  associated  with  its  political, 
social  and  commercial  life.  ]My  only  regret  is  that  an  entire 
volume  could  not  be  given  to  tliis  phase  of  our  annals. 

I  am  keenly  aware  of  the  fact  that  this  book  contains  much 
which  will  be  chiefly  valuable  for  reference  purposes.  Thei'e 
are  many  things  which  nnist  be  collected  and  preserved  in  a 
local   history,    but   which    do    not    lend   themselves    to    literary 


18  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

tivatiiiciit  111)1-  Ix'loiiii  slrictl\-  to  tlu'  luii-ralivc  which  interests 
the  general  reader.  Tliis  olxservation  applies  to  accounts  of 
oriranizations  no  one  of  which  inchides  more  than  a  small  part 
of^the  community,  yet  each  of  which  has  its  own  peculiar 
public.  It  should  be  remembered  also  that  the  web  of  our 
histor\-  is  woven  of  many  separate  threads,  and  that  none  of 
these  is  without  iuHuence  in  inakinu'  the  color  and  substance 
of  the  whoh'  fal)ric.  In  the  department  of  the  work  entitled, 
"Institutions  of  Civic  Life,"  the  reader  will  find  many  of  the 
most  significant  facts  of  our  progress  as  a  community. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  to  many  i)ersons  for  assistance 
rendered  in  assembling  the  facts  for  this  liook.  The  late  E.  W. 
]^Ioi-se  was  extremely  helpful,  and  the  last  days  of  his  life 
were  given  freely  to  lengthy  interviews  and  the  explanation  of 
old  documents."  "Father"  Horton  patiently  submitted  to 
cross-examination  on  several  occasions,  furnishing  impressions 
of  his  own  period  which  might  otherwise  have  been  lost.  Judge 
:\I.  A.  Luce  and  Daniel  Cleveland  have  been  constantly  con- 
sulted and  have  rendered  invaluable  assistance,  with  the  ut- 
most i)atience  'and  courtesy.  To  E.  F.  Parmelee.  business 
manager  of  the  Saii  Di((jo  i'liioii,  apologies  are  due,  as  well 
as  sincere  thanks,  for  he  allowed  liis  office  to  be  cumbered  for 
weeks  at  a  time  with  desk  and  typewriter  while  the  newspaper 
files  were  l)eing  searched  in  the  interest  of  this  work.  J\Irs. 
Davison,  Librarian  of  the  San  Diego  Public  Library,  the  author- 
ities of  the  University  Library,  at  Berkeley,  and  the  State 
Librarian  at  Sacramento,  co-operated  in  securing  rare  volumes 
needed  for  consultation.  To  these,  and  to  many  other  persons. 
who  heli)ed  in  various  ways,  and  especially  to  living  pioneers 
who  sui)plied  recollections  of  men  and  events  (their  names 
are  mentioned  in  connection  with  their  stories  in  the  text),  the 
author's  warmest  thanks  are  tendered. 

The  project  of  writing  this  work  originated  not  with  me,  but 
with  Nathan  Watts,  who  has  long  felt  a  deep  interest  in  our 
local  history  and  who  has  l)een  sti'oimly  imi^ressed  witli  the  im- 
portance of  collecting  and  presei'ving  authentic  records  of  the 
past,  and  especially  the  recollections  of  old  settlers,  while  it  was 
yet  possible  to  do  so.  Mr.  Watts  has  l)een  the  constant  friend 
of  the  enterprise,  and  is  entitled  to  a  very  large  share  of  any 
ci-edit  that  may  be  due  for  the  ])erformance. 

It  is  also  with  much  pleasure  that  T  acknowledge  my  indebt- 
edness to  my  chief  assistant  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume, 
Millard  F.  ILidson.  An  indefaliL^alile  scholar  and  worker, 
the  book  could  not  have  l)een  produced  at  this  time,  nor  at  any 
time  with  the  degi-oe  of  tlioroughness  with  which  I  am  sure  it 
has  been  done,  without  the  assistance  derived  from  his  enthu- 
siasm, intelligence,  and  devotion.     Much  of  llic  nai-rative  portion 


AUTHOR'S   FOREWORD  19 

of  the  work  stands  siibstfiiitially  as  lie  i)i'epared  it  in  his  full 
notes  of  interviews  and  al)straets  from  doeumeiits  and  other 
authoritative  sources.  This  being'  so,  he  is  to  be  regarded  as 
joint-author  of  the  work. 

Finally,  grateful  aeknowledgment  must  be  made  to  nearly 
one  hundred  prominent  citizens  whose  generosity'  and  civic 
pride  prompted  them  to  subscribe  various  sums  toward  a  pub- 
lication fund.  It  was  realized  at  the  beginning  that  the  pro- 
duction of  a  volume  entailing  an  expenditure  of  several 
thousand  dollars,  and  wholly  devoid  of  "paid  biographies" 
and  commercial  "write-ups,"  could  not  be  hazarded  on  the 
prospects  of  sales  within  a  limited  field.  The  financial  ])rol)lem 
was  solved  by  subscriptions  for  books  at  prices  in  excess  of  the 
pul)lisher"s  rate  to  the  public.  These  prices  are  of  various 
amounts  voluntarily  fixed  by  the  subscribers,  but  sufficient  in 
the  aggregate  to  reduce  the  risk  of  publication  to  a  point  where 
it  becomes  feasible.  Nothing  in  the  book  is  intluenced  in  the 
slightest  degree  by  })ecuniary  considerations.  Xo  one  has 
been  included  in  text  or  illustration  because  he  subscribed  to 
the  publication  fund,  nor  has  any  one  been  omitted  because  he 
failed  to  do  so.  The  etfort  has  been  to  produce  real  history  and 
real  literature,  and  to  measure  men  and  events  by  no  other 
standard. 

AVriting  the  book  in  the  course  of  my  i)rofession  as  a  literary 
man,  it  has  yet  been  largely  a  labor  of  love,  and  I  hope  it 
may  be  regarded  in  the  future  as  a  service  to  a  people  who  have 
honored  me  with  constant  evidences  of  their  friendship,  and 
even  as  a  modest  memorial  to  my  citizenship  among  them. 

William  E.  Smythe. 
San   Diego,    California, 

Januarv  1.  1907. 


INTRODUCTION 

THE   HISTORICAL  PRE-EMINENCE   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

HE  CIVILIZATION  of  California,  and  of  the 
whole  Western  Coast  now  belonging  to  the 
United  States,  began  on  the  shores  of  San 
Diego  Bay.  AVhat  Plymonth  is  to  New  Eng- 
land and  the  region  facing  the  Atlantic,  San 
Diego  is  to  the  great  empire  which  faces  the 
Pacific.  ~ 

This'l'act  is  not  appreciated  as  it  deserves 
to  be  by  readers  of  history  generally,  nor  by  the  people  of  Cal- 
ifornia, nor  even  by  the  people  of  San  Diego.  Here  by  the 
Sonthwestern  Gateway  of  the  Republic  should  be  one  of  the 
great  shrines  of  historical  America,  where  pilgrims  should  come 
by  thousands  to  i)ay  homage  to  the  past,  and  where  monuments 
should  be  erected  l)y  this  generation,  to  be  bequeathed  to  the 
keeping  of  generations  yet  to  come. 

Plymouth  and  San  Diego !  Each  the  scene  of  the  first  en- 
vhiring  settlement  on  its  own  side  of  the  continent;  each  the  off- 
spring of  religious  zeal ;  each  planted  by  those  who,  building 
better  than  they  knew,  became  the  pioneers  of  a  movement  which 
contributed  immeasurably  to  the  betterment  of  mankind;  and 
each  showing  the  way  for  millions  to  carve  homes  from  the 
wilderness — the  one  hx  clearing  the  forest,  the  other  bv  irri- 
gating  the  desert ! 

Nor  is  this  the  whole  of  San  Diego's  claim  to  everlasting  dis- 
tinction in  human  history.  Not  only  was  it  the  birthplace  of 
civilization  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  the  United  States,  but  it  was 
also  the  scene  of  the  first  discovery  of  that  coast  by  the  Spanish 
explorers  of  the  Sixteenth  Century.  Thus  it  happened  that 
the  first  European  footprint  was  indelibly  impressed  on  the 
shores  of  San  Diego  Bay.  Surely,  there  is  no  other  spot  so 
precious  in  the  entire  continental  expanse  from  Plymouth  Rock 
to  Point  Loma !  This  leads  me  to  ask  if  there  is  any  logical 
relation  between  the  history  of  such  a  city  and  its  future  growth. 
It  is  unquestionably  true  that  mere  priority  of  settlement, 
even  when  this  priority  is  a  matter  of  large  historical  conse- 
quence, does  not  guarantee  the  growth,  nor  even  the  permanence, 
of  a  community.  Jamestown  in  Virginia,  where  English-speak- 
ing men  first  built  their  homes  in  America,  long  since  perished 


22  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

I'l'Miii  the  earth.  IcaviiiL;'  liarely  eiiouiih  i-iiiiis  to  luarlv  the  site. 
Kveii  at  Plymoiitii,  where  the  comiminitN'  lias  eiijinetl  a  vigorous 
and  continuous  existence  since  1()2(),  there  was  a  poj)ulation  of 
less  than  ten  thousan<l.  according  to  the  census  of  1900.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  metropolis  of  New  Knglaiid  has  grown  up 
whei'c  John  Winlhrop  colonized  his  English  followers  in  l(j):}(), 
and  the  metropolis  of  th(>  nation  has  develo])e(l  where  the  Dutch 
founded  New  Anisterdaiii  in  l(i2."). 

There  can  he  little  (juestion  that  prioi-ity  of  settlement  and 
its  resulting  iiistorical  pre-emineiu-e  are  assets  of  extraordinary 
value  wIkmi  joined  to  the  possc^ssion  of  great  natural  advan- 
tages. There  was  no  good  reason  why  i^lyniouth  should  become 
a  largt'  eit\-.  for  neithei-  agriculture,  connnerce,  nor  manufac- 
tures belonged  to  it  1»\  natural  right,  damestown  was  destroyed 
in  the  so-calhd  iJaeon's  Kebellion  of  l(i7(i,  and  never  afterwards 
rebuilt,  because  there  wei-e  much  !)etter  locations  elsewhere. 
l>ut  P>oston  and  .\ew  ^'ork  enjoyed  strategic  locations  and  w-ere 
thus  able  to  leap  tlu^  IxMietits  of  their  early  settlement  and  tlie 
fame  which  it  bi'ought  them.  It  is  to  the  latter  class  that  San 
Dieiio  belongs,  ileuce,  its  hist(U-ical  pre-eminence  ought  to 
count  heavily  as  a  factor  in  its  future  growth  and  idtimate 
greatness. 

Westei-n  cities  do  not  patiently  await  the  slow  accretions  of 
time.  They  reckon  in  decades  where  the  older  cities  of  the  East 
measure  their  gi'owth  by  centuries.  Their  effort  at  advancement 
takes  the  form  of  tierce  competition  among  themselves  in  seek- 
ing to  attract  the  attention  of  the  outside  world  as  a  means 
of  reinforcing  their  capital  and  recruiting  their  citizenship. 
Ill  California,  this  competition  is  more  conspicuously  in  evi- 
dence than  anywhere  else  in  the  United  States.  San  Diego, 
alone,  can  challenge  the  attention  of  the  world  by  saying: 

Here  came  ihc  Sjxnns/i  discovcn  r  to  hehold  for  the  first  time 
the  Pacific  Coast  of  ir/iat  is  lunr  (Ik  United  Stat(s.  I[er( ,  too, 
Is  t/ie  rtjjmonlli  of  the  ^Vest,  tv/it  ri  llii  Enropciui  firsi  l)iilll  Iiis 
liome  and  reared  the  Cross.  Here  ivas  the  first  town.  Ihc  first 
irrigation  dileh.  the  first  eutiivated  field,  the  frsi  scIkh)},  and 
the  first  of  those  historic  missions  ichie/i  ushered  in  I/k  CItrislin)} 
era  in  California.  And  here  ice  are  huilding  a  mighty  city  as 
an   erertasting  nionumt  nt   to  iln    rUgrim   Fathers  of  the   We.st. 

If  the  ])ublication  of  this  work  could  be  attended  by  a  result 
above  all  others  gratifying  to  ]iie.  it  would  fix  tlie  historical  pre- 
eminence of  San  Diego  as  firmly  and  clearly  in  the  |)ublic  mind 
as  the  historical  pre-eminence  of  l*l\iiioiith  has  been  established 
for  many  generations  by  its  faithful  hisloi'ians.  And  if  it  could 
produce  a  fni'thei-  r(>sult  in  line  with  this,  it  Avonhl  inspire  the 
people  of  San  Diego  to  the  preservation  of  all  the  pn^cions 
landmarks    of    the    early    time    and    the    creation    of    etidnring 


HISTORICAL   PRE-EMINENCE  23 

iiu'iiiuriiils  worthy  nl  tlicii'  hislnrv.  Willi  the  rise  ol'  llic  city  to 
a  ])lace  oi  coniniaiidin^'  iiifliiciic*  in  the  new  world  oi'  the  Pacific, 
and  tlie  dawn  of  a  new  era  in  the  develo])inent  of  the  vast  region 
which  traces  the  l)e,i;iiniin^s  ot  its  history  to  tliis  spot,  the  time 
has  come  when  San  Die.uo  can  no  longer  atl'ord  to  he  carek'ss 
of  its  past,  any  more  than  it  can  afford  to  neglect  its  future. 
And  it  is  (juitc  undeiiiahle  that  San  Diego  has  been  careless  of 
its  past.  Not  only  so,  Init  it  lias  tamely  actjuiesced  in  similar 
carelessness  on  tlu'  i)ai"t  of  those  whose  business  it  is  to  record 
the  truth  of  histon-  and  to  preserve  the  priceless  evidences  of 
civilized  man's  earliest  dominion  on  these  shores. 

Even  the  name  of  Cabrillo  is  but  little  known^to  American 
school  children,  still  less  to  general  readers.  What  is  yet  more 
strange,  the  name  of  this  historic  man  is  neglected  by  the  com- 
pilers of  encyclopedias  and  biographical  dictionaries.  You 
may  consult  standard  works  of  reference  Avithout  discovering 
the  man  who  discovered  California.  Sir  Francis  Drake  has 
been  more  fortunate  and  reaped  a  larger  renown  for  a  perform- 
ance of  less  value,  as  historical  values  are  usually  reckoned. 
San  Diego  owes  it  to  its  own  fame,  as  well  as  to  Cal^rillb's,  to 
celebrate  the  achievement  of  the  pioneer  navigator  and  to  erect 
a  splendid  memorial  in  his  honor.  As  Farragut  stands  guard 
in  JMadison  Scpmre,  and  as  Colonel  Shaw  yet  marches  among 
his  men  in  St.  Claudens'  noble  monument  fronting  the  Boston 
State  House,  so  Juan  Rodri([uez  Cabrillo  should  look  njion  the 
faces  of  })assing  generations  of  Calif ornians  in  one  of  the  i)ul)- 
lic  places  of  San  Diego. 

The  Old  Presidio  Hill,  overlooking  Old  Town,  should  be  j)er- 
petually  presei'ved  and  made  the  object  of  sacred  and  loving 
care,  for  ui)on  that  hill  the  first  home  and  the  first  church 
Avere  builded,  and  there  the  music  of  the  mission  bell  first  broke 
the  silence. 

The  hand  of  decay,  now  lying  so  heavily  upon  the  Mission 
establishment  which  dominated  San  Diego  and  its  surroundings 
for  seventy  years,  should  be  sharply  arrested,  for  the  complete 
obliteration  of  that  eloquent  ruin  is  unthinkable  to  men  and 
women  who  have  any  reverence  for  the  ])ast. 

The  battle-field  of  San  Pasqual  should  be  marked  in  some 
appropriate  way;  and  there  are  a  score  of  other  simple  acts 
which  should  be  performed  by  a  i)eo])le  who  stand  between  the 
past  and  the  future  and  wdiose  obligations  extend  to  both. 

Most  important  and  beautiful  of  all,  at  some  sightly  ooini  in 
the  great  park,  a  noble  monument  should  be  reared  by  Protest- 
ant hands  to  the  memory  of  the  Catholic  Fathers. 

Through  th(^se  pages,  I  trust  it  is  given  me  to  speak  not  only 
to  a  present  citizenship,  but  to  a  future  citizenship  who  shall 
hereafter  dwell  upon  the  sunny  slopes  of  San  Diego  and  come 


24 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


into  a  great  licril.iLiv  of  memories  niid  .-lehievemeiit.  And  to 
the  men  and  women  ot  a  later  tinu^  as  to  those  of  today,  1 
wouhl  say:  Guard  well  the  City's  fame,  and  the  fame  of' the 
men  whose  toils  and  sacrifices  gave  it  birth. 


^ 


MEDALLION   GIVEN   AN   INDIAN 
GIRL   BY   FATHER   SERRA 


PART  FIRST 
Period  of  Discovery  and  Mission  Rule 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE   SPANISH  EXPLORERS 

iTAXl)  uixiii  the  lieitihts  in  the  sunny  jifteriioon 
and  turn  your  eyes  to  the  dazzling  waste  of 

Sir'Ii  ^\'fitei's,  and,  with  the  slightest  exercise  of 
rX^  imagination,  you  may  see  them  yet — those 
\5  I  Spanish  ships  that  crept  up  the  coast,  then 
headed  tor  the  Silver  Gate,  in  September, 
1542.  Quaint  craft  they  were,  with  their  round 
bows  and  square  sterns  and  their  poop  decks 
rising  in  the  air,  so  that  they  seemed  about  as  high  as  the\'  were 
long.  Although  small  when  compared  with  the  standards  of 
today  —  only  three  or  four  hundred  tons  —  there  was  a  certain 
grandcTir  about  them  which  does  not  attach  to  the  modern  liner. 
Somehow,  they  suggested  the  poverty-stricken  Spanish  gentle- 
man who  manages  to  keej)  his  pomp  and  pride  on  an  empty 
stomach.  For  there  were  paint  and  gold,  carvings  and  embla- 
zonr\'  of  armorial  bearings,  but  there  was  probably  very  little 
to  eat,  especially  in  the  forecastle. 

It  is  a  marvel  that  they  could  make  long  voyages  in  those 
days.  The  ships  were  clumsy,  hard  to  handle,  capable  of  carry- 
ing but  a  small  spread  of  canvas  in  anything  a])proaching  a 
strong  breeze,  and  sailed  sidewise  almost  as  well  as  forward. 
They  seemed  to  invite  every  peril  that  goes  with  the  sea.  Be- 
sides, the  lack  of  condensed  foods,  of  facilities  for  refrigera- 
tion, and  of  sanitary  knowledge,  entailed  hardship  and 
privation  upon  those  who  set  out  upon  long  voyages  into 
regions  of  the  earth  but  vaguely  knowai.  It  is  little  wonder  that 
sailors  died  like  flies  from  causes  which  were  comprehensively 
charactei'ized  as  scurvy,  though  in  many  cases  the  ti-ouble  was 
simply  starvation.  And  yet  those  two  ships  which  had  pitclied 
and  rolled  along  their  uncertain  way  from  ^Mexico  made  a  brave 
sight  as  they  swept  in  upon  the  smo(^th  waters  of  San  Diego 
Bay  and  dropped  their  anchors  under  the  sheltei-  of  Point 
Loma.  They  wei'c  the  first  ships  that  ever  rested  on  those 
waters  —  the  San  Salvador  and  tlie  Victoria  —  and  a  new  era 
liad  dawned  upon  the  world  of  the  Pacific  when  Juan  Rodriquez 
Cabrillo.  a  Portuguese  luivigator  in  the  service  of  S])ain, 
looked  up  and  down  the  bay,  around  the  encircling  shores,  and 


28  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

llicii  l(>  the  hills  and  iiioiiiilaiiis  tlia1  make  the  nol)le  baek- 
yromid. 

It  was  the  last  act  in  the  great  drama  of  Spanish  diseuverv 
which  began  with  ("oliimbus  fift\-  years  before.  A  train  of 
events  in  which  lie  had  no  part  made  Cabrillo  the  star  per- 
former and  placed  in  his  hand  the  lanrel  of  lasting  renown. 
Hernando  Cortes  had  set  his  heart  on  exploring  the  mystei-ions 
land  which  lay  to  the  north  of  ^Mexico  and  was  popularly 
believed  to  be  India.  He  had  expected  that  this  would  be 
the  crowning  glory  of  his  career,  but  Charles  Y.  was  unwilling 
to  see  the  figure  of  Cortes  grow  larger,  lest  he  sliould  set  up 
an  empire  of  his  own  and  divide  the  glory  of  Spain.  Thus  it 
happened  that  ^lendoza  was  made  Yiceroy  of  the  Spanish  pos- 
sessions in  the  New  AVorld  and  Cortes  returned  to  complain  to 
the  King.  He  never  saw  New  Spain  again,  and  his  dream  of 
northern  exploration  vanished  forever. 

One  of  his  former  lieutenants,  Pedro  de  Alvarado.  had 
cherished  the  same  ambition  and  proceeded  to  l)uild  ships  as 
a  means  of  carrying  it  into  effect.  He  was  in  favor  with  the 
court  and  with  Mendoza,  and  thus  enabled  to  proceed  with  his 
plans.  But  Fate  did  not  intend  that  Alvarado  should  realize 
the  dream  of  Cortes  and  become  the  discoverer  of  a  northern 
realm.  He  was  drawn  into  a  war  with  the  ]\Iixton  Indians  in 
jMexico  and  killed  while  assaulting  one  of  their  strongholds. 
Thus  it  happened  that  Cabrillo  sailed  northward  from  Nativ- 
idad,  Mexico,  on  June  17,  15-I2,  on  the  long-deferred  voyage  of 
discovery. 

Fortunate,  indeed,  is  the  discoverer  in  the  quality  of  his 
fame.  The  achievement  of  the  soldier,  of  the  scholar,  of  the 
statesman,  of  the  founder  of  institutions  may  be  surpassed  in 
subsequent  times  and  relegated  to  comparative  obscurity  by 
those  who  achieve  even  more  greatly ;  but  the  claim  of  the  dis- 
coverer cannot  be  superseded.  His  distinction  endures  with 
the  lands  he  brought  .to  light  and  gains  with  their  growth 
thi'ough  the  centuries.  California  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  so  that 
it  may  be  said  that  the  daj-  of  Cabrillo 's  greatest  glory  will 
come  in  the   future. 

The  historic  sailor  knew  a  good  harbor  when  he  saw  it  and 
was  the  first  of  a  long  line  of  mariners  to  realize  that  the  l)a>- 
of  San  Diego  is  a  spot  favored  by  nature  and  destined  foi- 
great  things.  "A  land-locked  and  very  good  hai'bor,"  he 
called  it.  and  gav(^  it  the  name  of  San  Miguel.  On  the  very 
day  of  his  arrival,  he  sent  a  small  boat  "farther  into  the  port, 
which  was  large."  AVhile  it  was  anchored  "a  very  great  gale 
blew  from  the  southwest,"  Imt  this  did  not  disturb  the  boat 
;nul  its  occupants.  "The  purl  being  good,  we  felt  nothing," 
says  the  nai-rative,  which  is  onl\-  too  meager. 


CABRILLO  AND  THE  INDIANS 


29 


SHIP   OF   CABRILLO'S   TIME 

"The  ships  were  clumsy,  hard  to  handle,  capable  of  carrying  but  a  small  spread  of  canvas 
in  anything  approaching  a  sti-ong  breeze,  and  sailed  side-wise  almost  as  well  as  forward." 


The  explorer  sent  a  party  ashore  to  replenish  his  supply  of 
water.  They  landed  on  Point  Loma  and  followed  the  river 
channel  until  they  found  a  pool.  It  was  the  driest  season  of 
the  year,  and  then,  as  now,  the  San  Diego  River  was  a  little 
short  of  water  at  that  season.  It  was  late  in  the  day  when  the 
pai'ty  set  out,  and  dark  when  they  started  to  return.  Tliey 
chanced  upon  the  shores  of  False  Bay  and  looked  in  vain  for 
the  ships.  The  mistake  was  natural  enough  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  the  traveller  who  approaches  the  city  by  rail 
generally  falls  into  the  same  error  of  mistaking  False  Bay  for 
the  true  bay  of  San  Diego  when  he  catches  his  first  glimpse 
of  the  country.  The  sailors  camped  for  the  night,  but  were 
found  early  the  next  morning  by  another  party  and  guided 
back   to   the   ships. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Indian  inhabitants  discovered  the 
presence  of  the  strangers.  Word  of  the  extraordinary  event 
must  have  passed  rjijudly  from  moiitli  to  montli.  nnd  doubtless 


30 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


the  sloi-y  of  it  \\;is  luiiidcd  down  I'roiii  i'jitlicf  to  son  t'oi'  iiintiy 
a  long  year.  In  the  account  of  the  voyage  written  l)y  one  of 
Ca1)rillo's  companions,  and  translated  and  })nl)]ished  hy  the 
Government  in  a  report  of  the  United  States  Geographic  Sur- 
veys in  1879.  this  interesting  statement  appears: 

And  the  following  day,  in  the  morning,  tiierc  eame  to  the  shi|) 
three  large  Indians,  and  by  signs  they  said  that  there  were 
traveling  in   the  interior  men   like  ns,   with   heards,   and   clothes 


JUAN  RODRIQUEZ  CABRILLO 

Who  discovered  the  Bay  of  San  Diego  in  September,  1542,  and  first  explored  the  coast  of 

California 


and  armed  like  those  of  the  ships,  and  they  made  signs  that 
they  carried  cross-bows  and  swords,  and  made  gestures  with 
the  right  arm  as  if  they  were  throwing  lances,  and  went  rnn- 
ing  in  a  postnre  as  if  riding  on  horseback,  and  made  signs 
that  they  kiihd  many  of  the  native  Indians,  and  that  for 
this  they  were  afraid.  This  people  are  well  disposed  and  ad- 
vanced;   they    go    cov^ered    with    the    skins    of    animals. 


Cahrillo  I'cmaiticd  l)n1  six  (hiys  in  the  hay  witli  which  his 
name  will  he  forever  associated.  He  took  ohservations  with 
su(!h    imptM-fect   instruments   as   he   had   and  located   the   place 


THE  SECOND   EXPLORER  31 

ill  Ijililiidc  ;U  20'  Xorth.  (The  true  Ijililiidc  is.  of  coufse, 
'S2^  41'  57.6".)  This  mistake  led  to  some  embari-assmeiit  in 
Intel'  times  wlicii  olhcf  luiviiiatoi's  tried  to  find  the  hMrboe  I)y 
means  of  Cahi'iHos  iiolcs.  'I'he  discoverer  saiU^d  away  for  the 
North,  where  he  died  Toiii-  iiioiitlis  later,  or  Januaiy  3,  1543, 
in  constMiuenec  ol'  ;i  t;ill  i>ii  mii  island  wiiieli  his  ('oiii|);iiiioiis 
lumied  in  his  honor,  ".Juan  lvodri(|ue/.. "  With  liis  last  words, 
he  directed  his  party  to  iio  forward  with  the  oi'iuinal  plan  of 
exploration.  His  ^I'ave  has  never  been  identified,  bnl  il  is 
interesting  to  reflect  that  liis  dnst  is  mingled  willi  (lie  soil 
which    he    discovered. 

The  accounts  of  Calirillo's  acliievement  slowly  percolalc'd  to 
Spain  by  way  of  Mexico,  but  if  they  produced  any  exciteuKUif 
it  was  successfully  restrained  for  a  period  of  nearly  two  ;gen<'i'a- 
tions.  In  these  days,  when  the  news  of  a  fresh  mineral  discovery 
sends  thousands  rushing  into  the  desert  on  automobiles,g0r  to 
the  frozen  wastes  of  the  Far  North  in  swift  steamships,  it  woidd 
seem  that  hnman  nature  in  the  Sixteenth  Century  iiuist  have 
been  ditferent  if  it  could  receive  the  news  of  the  discovery  of 
a  land  lilce  California  without  feelinii'  an  irresistible  impulse  of 
adventure.  The  difference,  however,  was  not  one  of  hnman 
nature,  bnt  of  facilities  for  spreading'  informal  ion  and  for 
transporting  men  and  supi)lies  across  distances  relalively 
greater  than  any  now  known  in  all  the  spaces  of  the  world. 
The  development  of  new  countries  waits  npon  events.  Not  in 
that  time  did  events  call  for  the  utilization  of  the  resources  of 
the  Pacific.  Fortunately,  nature  provides  an  ample  margin 
of  resources  for  the  needs  of  successive  generations.  When 
there  are  no  more  lands  to  be  discovered,  the  genius  of  dis- 
covery seeks  other  chainiels  of  expression,  and  men  find  new 
and  better  ways  in  which  to  use  lands  already  in  their  posses- 
sion. Th(^  discoverer  is  with  us  yet,  and  he  will  be  with  those 
wlio  come  after  us;  l)iit  he  <'xplores  the  realms  of  science,  or 
makes  his  perihnis  way  to  new  continents  of  thought,  and  so 
he  widens  man's  dominion  of  the  universe. 

It  was  exactly  sixty  years  before  the  ships  of  civilization 
again  appeared  ofi"  the  coast  of  Southern  California.  Charles 
V.  passed  away  without  any  serious  attempt  to  colonize  and 
develop  the  region,  l)iit  dur-ing  the  reign  of  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor. l*hilip  II.,  the  jiossibilities  of  the  peninsula  of  Low(>r 
California,  and  of  the  northern  regions  known  as  Alta  Cali- 
fornia, were  much  in  the  royal  mind.  It  is  easy  to  understand 
why  nothing  was  accomplished.  Philip,  Imsy  with  his  European 
polities  and  with  the  terrors  of  the  In(|uisition,  liad  neithei-  time 
nor  money  to  expend  npon  the  conqm^st  of  the  wildei-ness. 
Such  efforts  as  were  made  came  to  nothing,  bnt  when,  in  ir)98. 
a  merciful  providence  removed  the  royal  fanatic  fi-om  his  blood- 


32 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


stained  lliruiie,  Philip  III.  iiimiediately  took  steps  to  improve 
the  Spanish  possessions  of  what  is  now  the  Pacific  Coast  of 
tlie  Pnited  States. 

Don  Sebastian  Yiscaino  was  chosen  as  Captain-General  of  the 
expedition  and  sailed  on  i\Iay  5,  1602,  from  the  port  of 
Acapnk'o.  willi  two  ships  and  a  frigate,  together  with  a  small 
vessel  to  ])e  nsed  in  exploring  shallow  waters.  He  was  accom- 
panied   by    three    religions    Carmelites,    one    of    whom.    Friar 


SAN   DIEGO   DE   ALCALA 

From  whom  the  Bay  and  region  derived  their  name 


Antonio  de  la  .Vseensioii,  became  the  jonrnalist  of  the  expedi- 
tion and  wrote  an  acconnt  of  the  voyage,  which  extended  to  the 
norllicni  cojist  of  California. 

Viscaino  pursned  liis  leisurely  course  northward,  stopping  at 
several  points  in  liower  California,  and  found  himself  at  the 
pictures(iue  islands  which  rise  abruptlA'  from  the  sea  oft"  San 
Diego  on  November  5,  1602,  precisely  six  nioiitlis  after  leaving 
Acapulco.  He  gave  the  islands  the  name  wliicli  they  still  bear, 
the  Coronados.  It  was  November  10  when  his  Meet  saiU'd  into 
tile  harbor  which  no  white  man,   save   Cabrillo  and  his  com- 


THE   POINT  LOMA  FOREST  33 

pjinioiis,  li.id  visited  before.  A  survey  of  the  harbor  was  im- 
mediately midei'takeii,  for  Vise;iino  was  l)ent  on  ()btainini>'  ex- 
aet  iiiforiiuition  <)s  far  as  it  was  possible  with  the  faeilities  at 
his  eonnnand,  and  he  was  able  to  leave  several  maps  which  con- 
stituted ;i  very  valuable  contribution  to  the  geographical 
knowledge  of  the  time. 

It  was  he  who  gave  the  port  its  present  name,  though  many 
people  suppose  that  the  name  originated  with  the  mission  which 
was  estal)lished  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  later,  and  others 
suppose  it  was  derived  from  St.  .James  of  the  Bil)l(!.  Because 
his  survey  was  either  begun  or  ended  on  November  12 — no  one 
knows  exactly  which,  though  the  former  seems  more  probable — 
and  because  that  was  the  day  of  Saint  James  of  Alcala  (San 
Diego  de  Alcala)  Viscaino  gave  the  port  the  name  of  San  Diego. 
It  would  be  pleasant  to  linger  on  the  virtues  of  this  saint,  whose 
best  monument  is  the  San  Diego  of  today;  but  space  forbids 
the  digression.  Born  in  a  hamlet  of  the  Archlushopric  of  Se- 
ville, Spain,  in  1400,  he  died  on  November  12,  1463,  and  was 
buried  in  the  chapel  of  his  monastery  near  Toledo,  Spain.  Ilis 
sainthood  was  won  l)y  a  life  of  loving  service,  and  may  well 
inspire  the  cit}-  Avhich  bears  his  name  to  loft.v  effort  in  behalf 
of  hunuinity. 

On  the  day  after  his  arrival  the  Cai)tain-General  organized 
a  party  to  survey  a  forest  lying  "on  the  Northwest  side  of  the 
Bay," — evidently  Point  Loma.  The  party  was  in  charge  of 
Ensign  Alarcon,  and  included  Captain  Pequero,  Father  Antonio 
de  la  Ascension,  and  eight  soldiers.  In  this  forest  they  found  ' '  tall 
and  straight  oaks  and  other  trees,  some  shrulis  resemljliug  rose- 
mary, and  a  great  variety  of  fragrant  and  wholesome  plants." 
The  identity  of  the  spot  with  I'oint  Loma  is  further  confirmetl 
by  the  re])ort  that  "the  hi^h  ground  commanded  a  view  of  the 
whole  harbor,  which  api)eared  spacious,  convenient,  and  well 
sheltered,"  and  by  the  further  statement  that  "to  the  North- 
west of  the  wood  is  another  harbor,"  which  doubtless  refers  to 
False  Bay.  The  forest  is  described  as  liordering  on  San  Diego 
Bay  and  its  dimensions  are  given  as  "three  leagues  in  length 
and  half  a  league  in  breadth." 

The  existence  of  anything  apiu'oaching  a  noble  forest  on  the 
slopes  and  top  of  Point  Loma  in  1602  is  a  matter  of  unicpie 
interest,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  nothing  of  the  sort  is  found 
toda\'.  But  the  story  is  unquestioned  by  the  oldest  settlers: 
indeed,  those  with  Avhom  I  have  talked  confirm  it  and  furnish 
some  evidence  to  sustain  the  vi(>w.  Thus  Ephraim  AV.  Morse 
said  : 

ATmha'  Yonrs  ngo  I  saw  in  the  posspssinn  of  tlio  Into  ^\v.  Hns- 
worth  of  San  Diogo.  a  piece  of  an  old  book  in  tlio  Si>anis]i 
language   which    gave    an   account    of   Viscaino 's   visit    to,-   and 


34  HISTORY  OF  SAN   DIEGO 

his  survey  of,  the  Bay  of  8aii  Diego  iu  16U2.  It  had  neither 
title-page  nor  date;  consequently  I  do  not  know  its  author.  It 
is  stated  that  at  the  time  of  Visoaino's  visit  there  was  quite 
a  large  grove  of  oak  trees  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  on  the 
north  side  of  the  bay  and  flat  now  known  as  Eoseville,  and  ex- 
tending around  the  point  towards  the  North  Bay,  which  is 
now  called  False  Bay,  and  that  the  valley  of  the  San  Diego 
River  from  opposite  where  Old  Town  now  stands,  as  far  up 
as  could  be  seen  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  was  a  dense  wil- 
low grove,  and  that  at  high  tide  the  waters  of  the  North  and 
South  Bays  met.  It  further  stated  that  while  the  bay  was 
l)eing  surveyed,  the  sailors  went  uj)  the  point  of  the  hill  (I 
suppose  about  where  Judge  Robinson  was  buried)  and  sat 
under    the    oak    trees,    and    washed    and    mended    their    clothes. 

And  ^liss  Marjiaret  ^[aegregor,  another  old  settler,  says: 
"There  is  no  doubt  that  Point  Lonia  was  covered  with  trees 
I  referring  to  Viseaino's  time].  There  are  now  old  stnmps  in 
the  ground  there,  charred  by  fire,  and  the  Indians  used  to  dig 
them  out  for  fuel.  The  Indians  said  there  was  once  a  heavy 
forest  there,  but  that  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  They  were  live 
oak  stumps.  They  were  not  very  large — about  the  same  as  the 
other  trees  on  the  Point.  I  would  not  call  it  timber.  There 
was  a  good  deal  of  it — the  Point  was  covered  with  it." 

This  testimony  finds  very  strong  corrol)oration  in  the  follow- 
ing article  published  in  the  ISan  Diego  Ddibj  World,  June  12. 
1S7::5 : 

The  Gipsy  yesterday  brought  into  jiort  Captain  Bogart. 
In  a  conversation  with  that  gentleman  some  very  interesting 
reminiscences  were  developed.  Captain  Bogart  first  visited 
San  Diego  in  the  Black   Warrior  in   1834,  39  years  ago. 

In  those  days  the  hills  about  the  Playa,  and  indeed  all  around 
San  Diego,  were  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  oak,  such  as 
is  found  in  the  .Julian  mountains  now.  This  was  the  case, 
to  a  very  great  extent,  when  Captain  Bogart  came  to  San 
Diego  in    1<S52,   as   the   agent   of  the  Pacific   Mail   S.   S.   Co. 

He  ascribes  the  destruction  of  this  timber  to  its  liberal  use 
by  the  native  jiopulatinn,  mid  by  the  crews  of  vessels  trading 
for  hides,  in  their  tanning  operations. 

He  can  remember  the  time  when  the  \vli(de  flat,  where  the 
race-course  is,  was  covered  with  a  <lense  willow  growth.  His 
memory  also  goes  back  to  the  days  when  Rose's  Canyon,  clear 
to  <';i|]tain  .lohnson 's.  at  I  "enasquitas,  was  covered  with  a 
liberal  forest  growth.  The  tanning  operations  of  the  vener- 
al)le  Mr.  Rose  are  responsible  for  much  of  this  disappearance 
of  timber.  We  asked  Captain  Bogart  how  he  accounted  for 
the  fact  that  there  were  no  remin<lers  of  the  forest  growth 
at  the  Playa.  He  replied  that  he  Imd  occasion  to  cut  a  road  to 
the  Playa  once,  and  came  ncross  many  stum])s.  Captain  Bo- 
gart's  accounts  agree  with  the  narratives  of  the  old  Mission-  - 
aries,  who  say  that  when  they  came  hei-e,  nearly  a  hundred 
years  ago,  the  site  of  S;in  Diego  was  covcM-ed  with  a   forest. 

Andrew    Cassidy    IliiiiUs   there    is    no   doubt    that    Point  Loma 
was  once  ((uite  heavily  wooded.  I)u1    is  of  the  opinion   that  the 


THE   FIRST   "BOOMERS"  35 

S])Miii;it'(ls  cxjiiiucrjilcd  I  he  si/.c  of  tlic  1 1'ccs.  This  is  prcjljahly 
the  cMse;  loi'  the  cai'ly  lah's  of  ihcir  cxpldfal  ions  arc  notoriously 
I'lill  ot  such  cxa.ti'uct'al  ion.  The  (lisa|)|)carancc  of  the  forest  in 
the  manner  described  by  ('a|)1ain  lio.uart,  or  by  tire,  is  entirely 
])robabh',  and  is  only  another  instance  of  llie  familiar  process 
by  which  the  natural  resources  of  tlie  West  have  been  wasted. 

Viscaino  ordered  a  tent  1o  be  pitched  on  shoi-e  for  reli,i>ious 
worship,  and  then  proceeded  to  clean  and  taUow  his  sliips. 
His  men  were  also  busy  yetting  wood  and  watei',  and  a  few  were 
employed  in  keeping  guard  to  prevent  any  sudden  attack  l)y 
the  natives.  They  obtained  water  fi-om  "a  little  island  of 
sand,"  where  they  dug  deep  trenches.  "During  the  flood." 
says  the  account,  ''the  water  was  fresh  and  good,  but  on  the 
ebb,  salt." 

Viscaino  and  his  men  saw  nuich  of  the  Indians  during  their 
brief  stay  and  found  them  both  interesting  and  friendly.  On 
their  tirst  appearance  they  came  in  great  numbers,  armed  with 
bows  and  arrows.  For  the  most  part,  they  were  naked,  but 
their  skins  were  daubed  with  black  and  white.  Father  Antonio 
went  forth  to  meet  them,  attended  by  six  soldiers.  They 
responded  to  his  overtures  for  a  peaceful  conference.  Presents 
were  distributed  by  the  Spaniards,  and  the  Indians  went  away 
pleased  with  the  visitors.  It  is  related  that  "  the  kind  of 
])aiut  they  used  looked  like  a  mixture  of  silver  and  gold  color; 
and  on  asking  them  by  signs  what  it  was,  they  gave  them  a 
piece  of  the  metallic  ore,  from  whence  thej'  made  it."  They 
also  signified  that  they  had  seen  men  like  the  Spaniards  in  the 
interior.  In  return  for  the  food  and  trinkets  which  were  given 
them,  the  Indians  left  a  good  many  skins  of  wild  animals. 

The  explorers  were  delighted  with  San  Diego,  and  their 
expressions  sound  much  like  those  of  the  tourist  of  today.  They 
admired  the  beauty  of  the  scene  and  appreciated  the  remark- 
able climate.  They  declared  that  the  situation  ottered  "a  fine 
site  for  a  Spanish  settlement."  Of  the  mineral  possibilities 
of  the  country  Father  de  la  Ascension  wrote:  "In  the  sands 
of  the  beach  there  was  a  great  (luantity  of  marcasite,  golden  and 
spongy,  which  is  a  clear  sign  that  in  the  mountains  round  the 
port  there  are  gold-mines,  because  the  waters  when  it  rains 
bring  it  from  the  mountains."  They  also  found  in  the  sand 
masses  of  a  gray  light  substance,  which  it  was  thouglit  might 
be  amber.  Some  very  heavy  l^lue  stones  with  which,  when 
powdered  and  mixed  in  water,  the  natives  made  shining  streaks 
(111   their  faces,  were  thought  to  be  rich  in  silver-. 

l>ut  most  of  all,  the  visitors  were  impressed  during  their  ten 
days'  stay,  with  the  importance  of  San  Diego  as  a  natui-al  sea- 
port. In  their  whole  voyage  they  found  no  more  perfect  harbor, 
nor  any  place  upon  which  nature  had  written  more  umnistak- 


36  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

ably  tlie  prophecy  of  a  great  destiiij-.  In  fact,  it  may  be  truth- 
fully said  that  Viseaiuo  and  his  chroniclers  were  the  first  San 
Diego  ''boomers."  And  yet  for  a  period  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  years  after  this  exploration,  which  added  so  richly 
to  geographical  lore,  civilization  held  aloof  from  the  tempting 
opportunity.  For  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  years  —  what 
history  was  made  elsewhere  in  that  space  of  time ! — the  sun  rose 
and  set,  the  seasons  came  and  went,  and  the  ocean  roared  along 
the  shore,  while  this  land,  Avhich  daring  explorers  had  rescued 
from  the  unknown,  slept  in  ])rimeval  silence.  The  Indian 
])a]^ooses  that  Father  de  la  Ascension  blessed  in  1602  grew  to 
manhood,  and  their  children  and  children's  children  lived  and 
passed  away,  before  the  white  man  came  again  with  sword  and 
cross  to  plant  the  first  seed  of  institutions  which  were  destined 
to  take  root  and  flourish. 


CHAPTER  IT 

BEGINNING  OF  THE   MISSION  EPOCH 

T  WAS  in  the  year  1769  that  Spain  finally  sot 
ready  to  reap  where  her  explorers  had  sown 
generations  before.  Carlos  III.  was  King,  the 
Marquis  de  Croix,  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
enterprise,  was  Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  Don 
Joseph  de  Galvez  was  Visitador  General.  The 
royal  order  came  for  occupation  of  the  ports 
of  San  Diego  and  iMonterey.  xVnd  it  was  high 
time.  Spain  could  not  hope  to  hold  vast  territories  indefinitely 
by  mere  right  of  discover}',  and  both  England  and  Russia  had 
eyes  upon  the  Pacific  Coast  of  North  America.  It  was  the 
latter 's  aggression  which  was  most  feared  and  which  probably 
gave  the  specific  impulse  to  the  new  movement. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  name  of  king  or  statesman  which 
survives  in  the  popular  imagination  when  the  early  settlement 
of  San  Diego,  and  the  coast  line  which  stretches  north  of  it,  is 
recalled,  but  the  name  of  an  immortal  missionary.  And  it  is 
a  fine  tribute  to  the  quality  of  mind  and  heart  which  finds  its 
expression  in  unselfish  and  loving  service  that  this  is  so.  But 
as  I  study  the'  records  of  the  past  it  seems  clear  enough  that  it 
was  the  lust  of  empire  far  more  than  religious  zeal  which  led 
to  the  pioneer  plantings  in  California.  This  judgment  is  no 
reflection  on  the  Missionary  Fathers,  who  simply  availed  them- 
selves of  a  favorable  political  situation  to  accomplish  designs 
unquestionabh'  born  of  a  high  conception  of  duty  to  God  and 
man.  But  if  we  seek  the  motive  behind  the  movement,  we  find  it 
when  we  ask  ourselves  the  (|uestion  :  If  the  Spanish  King  had 
not  wanted  to  hold  California  for  the  advantage  of  his  empire, 
would  it  have  been  within  the  power  of  the  Franciscans  to 
found  a  line  of  missions  from  San  Diego  northward,  and  Ihns 
to  lay  the  foundation-stones  of  an  enduring  civilization  ?  The 
(juestion  must  be  answered  in  the  negative,  for  the  missionaries 
could  not  have  supplied  the  necessary  shijjs  and  soldiers  nor 
the  other  provisions  essential  to  the  great  undertaking.  Put 
the  cpiestion  in  another  way  and  ask:  If  there  had  been  no 
niissionai-ies.  and  if  the  Spanish  King  had  still  desii-ed  to 
occupy  the  California  coast,  could  he  have  done  so  with  the  men 


49139 


38 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


;iii(l  iiiini('\-  ;t1  liis  eonniiriiul .'  Un(|uesti()ii;il)l\-,  he  ('oiild:  but 
lie  was  wise  ('iioii<ili  to  utilize  the  enthusiasm  and  capacity 
which  he  found  ready  to  his  hand  in  tlie  shape  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans and  wlio  were  the  more  necessary  because  the  Jesuits 
had  but  recently  been  expelled  from  tlieir  mission  holdings  in 
Lower  California. 

It  is  impoi'tant  to  note  the  intiuences  which  led  to  the 
founding  of  San  Diego,  and  it  is  the  simple  truth  of  history  to 
sav  that  the   most   vital    of   these   influences   was   the    need    of 


CARLOS  ni 

King  of  Spain  when  the  Spanish   soldiers  and   missionaries   made  the  original   settlement 

at  San  Diego,   1769 


Spanish  statecraft  to  exert  itself  in  order  to  hold  valuable 
possessions  gained  in  previous  centuries  by  explorati(m  and 
discovery.  If  this  motive  had  been  absent,  San  Diego  would 
no1  have  been  sellh'd  in  ITfiO.  iioi'  perhaps  l)y  those  who  spoke 
the  S|)aiiish  ton<;ue.  Its  histoi->-  might  have  been  entirely 
diffcrenl.  Tt  might  have  been  settled  by  Russians,  or  by 
Englishmen.  or  it  might  have  slei)t  on  until  a  new  nation  — 
almost  a1  1liat  hour  in  1ra^•ail  on  Ihe  Atlantic  Coast  of  North 
America  — sent  its  pioneers  across  the  plains  and  mountains 
to  iiive  a  mnv  and  strange  flau'  to  the  breeze. 


MOTIVE   FOR  COLONIZATION  39 

It  is  ti'iie,  of  coiii'se,  tlinl  Tor  iiumy  yt'ars  the  nii.ssionai'ies 
had  urged  the  King'  to  hnid  liis  assistance  to  the  conversion 
of  the  gentiles  of  the  North,  and  that  a  Catholic  nation  like 
Spain,  always  intlnenced  1)\'  Ihc  Papacy,  wonhl  iiatiically  give 
heed  to  the  claims  of  the  faith.  l)Ut  while  this  was  douljtiess 
taken  into  account,  it  was  clearly  secondary  to  considerations 
of  empire.  Nevertheless,  when  the  time  foi-  action  came,  a 
great  man,  garbed  in  the  cassock  of  the  pi'iest.  stood  ready  to 
sow  the  seed  of  a  harvest  which  men  are  now  but  beginning 
to  reap. 

Junipero  Serra  was  iil'ly-six  yeai's  ohi  when  the  opportunity 
came  to  him.  lie  had  l)eeu  trained  from  childhood  for  the 
work  he  was  to  do.  l>oi-n  on  the  Mediterranean  Island  of 
]\Iallorca,  in  the  humblest  circumstances,  he  was  benevolent 
and  devout  even  in  his  youth  and  seemed  to  have  had  no  other 
thought  than  to  do  good.  lie  became  a  Franciscan  friar  at 
sixteen  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  boy  gradually  evolved  into 
the  burning  passion  of  the  man  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  He 
sought  the  blackest  midnight  of  ignorance  that  he  might  spread 
the  light  of  his  faith  the  most  widely,  and  his  (pu^st  ])rought 
him  to  the  North  American  Indian.  For  many  years  he  labored 
in  Mexico,  among  the  Missions  of  the  Sierra  (lorda,  and  pene- 
trated to  the  farthest  frontiei's.  When  he  heard  of  the  expulsion 
of  the  Jesuits  from  Lower  Califoi'nia,  lie  feared  that  tlie  Indians 
in  that  country  would  relapse  into  utter  barbarism,  and 
hastened  to  occupy  the  field  before  this  calamity  could  occur. 
It  was  thus  that  Galvez  found  him  on  the  gi-ound,  ready  to  co- 
operate in  the  scheme  of  settlement  and  to  raise  the  Cross  under 
the  protection  of  the  sword. 

In  October,  1768.  the  two  leaders  met  at  Santa  Ana.  .Mexico, 
to  develop  their  plans  in  detail.  It  seems  clear  that  (Jalvez 
was  the  master  mind  at  the  conference,  l)ut  that  the  priest  as- 
sented heartily  to  all  hjs  suggestions.  When  they  separated 
a  perfect  understanding  had  been  reached  and  both  proceeded 
to  push  the  organization  of  the  expedition  with  the  utmost 
vigor.  The  early  days  of  1769  found  plans  wi^l  advanced  and 
the  lioui-  for  the  actual  beginning  of  the  movement  close  at  hand. 
It  was  the  work  of  Galvez  to  get  the  ships  ready  for  the  voyage 
and  to  direct  the  oryanization  of  the  militarv  parties  who  were 
to  go  by  land  and  sea  ;  and  the  work  of  Father  Serra  to  select 
the  priests  who  were  to  go,  some  by  sea  and  some  by  land,  to 
engage  in  the  founding  of  the  new  missions.  There  was  nuu^h 
to  be  done  in  securing  furniture,  ornaments,  and  vestments  for 
the  churches  which  were  to  be  established.  It  was  arranged  that 
these  things,  together  with  iiii|)l('nr'nts.  live  stock,  yrain,  and 
other  food,  should  be  taken  from  the  old  Jesuit  establishments, 
now  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Franciscans,  and  that  with  the 


40  HISTORY  OF   SAN   DIEGO 

exception  ol'  the  few  artieles  to  l)e  accepted  as  gifts,  they  should 
be  religionsh^  repaid  in  kind.  Thus  the  old  missions  were 
called  upon  to  support  the  new,  after  the  Jesuit  custom. 

On  January  9,  ITGf),  the  San  Carlos  sailed  from  La  Paz, 
after  the  performance  of  impressive  religious  ceremonies  at 
which  Father  Serra  presided.  The  iSaii  Antonio  sailed  from  San 
Jose  del  Cabo  on  February  15th,  and  the  third  vessel,  the  San 
Jose,  followed  many  months  later,  but  went  to  "the  Fort  of 
Missing  Ships."    It  was  never  heard  of  again. 

The  land  parties  went  forward  fi-oni  })()ints  where  they  had 
been  assembled  on  the  Peninsula  in  the  month  of  March,  one 
proceeding  under  the  leadership  of  Governor  Poi-tola,  and  the 
other  under  Captain  Rivera.  Father  Serra  had  expected  to  go 
with  Portola,  but  when  the  time  came  it  found  him  suffering 
keenlv  from  an  ulcerous  sore  on  his  foot,  contracted  during  a 
long  journey  in  Mexico  the  previous  year.  He  was  thus  com- 
pelled to  see  the  party  start  without  him,  Imt  he  followed  soon 
after  and  overtook  Portola  on  May  5th.  The  effort  cost  him 
nnich  pain  and  lends  a  touch  of  real  heroism  to  a  journey  which 
was  otherwise  unmarked  by  any  special  hardship.  The  sore  was 
healed  in  a  single  night  by  an  ointment  of  tallow  and  herbs  such 
as  was  commonly  applied  to  beasts,  but  tlie  ointment  was  sup- 
plemented by  his  own  prayers  and  his  touching  faith  in  their  ef- 
ficacy. The  cure  was  only  partial :  he  suffered  from  the  in- 
firmity to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Very  good  accounts  of  the  progress  of  the  expedition,  on  l)oth 
land  and  water,  were  kept  by  several  of  the  participants,  includ- 
ing Father  Serra  himself.  These  have  been  preserved  and  made 
accessible  to  students,  some  of  the  most  important  of  the  trans- 
lation having  been  accomplished  by  Charles  F.  Lummis,  the 
most  competent  and  tireless  student  of  early  California  history. 
But  though  the  accounts  are  remarkably  complete,  it  is  not  un- 
til the  story  reaches  San  Diego  that  they  are  of  special  inter- 
est to  us. 

Although  the  San  Antonio  had  sailed  over  a  month  later  than 
the  San  Carlos,  it  was  the  first  to  arrive  at  its  destination.  Mis- 
led by  Calirillo's  error  in  placing  the  port  two  degrees  farther 
no)'th  than  its  true  latitude,  both  ships  went  as  far  as  Santa 
Barbara  Channel  and  th(Mi  turned  south  on  discovering  the  mis- 
take. The  San  Antonio  saih^d  tlu-ough  the  Silver  Gate  and 
dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor,  April  11th.  Two  of  her  crew 
had  died,  and  many  Avere  ill.  from  scurvy.  But  the  condition  of 
the  San  Carlos,  Avhich  followed  on  April  29th,  was  very  much 
worse.  Only  four  sailors  -were  able  to  stand  at  their  post  and 
half  the  troops  were  also  down  -with  the  wretched  disease.  The 
men  were  just  able  to  reach  port  and  had  no  energy  left  to  lower 
a  boat  find  go  ashore.    Their  plight  was  soon  discovered  by  the 


THE   DIARY  OF  COSTANSO 


41 


DIARIO  HISTORICO 

DE LOS  VIAGES.de  MAR,  Y  TIER^RA 

^       HECHOS  AL  NORTE  DE  LA  CALIFORNIA 

-  DE  ORDEN 

DEL  EXCELENTJSSIMO  SFKOR 

MARQUES  DE  CROIX. 

Virrcy.  Governador,  y  Capjtan  General  de  U 

Nucva  Elpanj: 

Y  POR  DIRECC'ON 

DEL  ILLUSTRISSLMO  SENOR 

D  JOSEPH  DEC ALVEZ 

Del  Confejo,  y  Camara  dc  S.  M.  en  cJ  Supremo  de 

Indias,  Intcndente  dt  Exercito,  Vifitador  General 

de  efts  Reyno. 

Executados  por  U  Tropa  deftioada  a  aichoobjetoal  maad© 

DE  DON  CASPAR  DE  PORTOLA* 

Capstan  de  Dragones  eo  cl  Regiir.icnra  de  Efpana,  y  Goveraador 
en  dicha  Peniofula 
Y  por  tos  Paqncbots  e!  S.  Carim.  y  c!  S.  Antonio  al  mando 

DE  DON  VICENTE   VILA, 

Piloto  dcSNumtro  deprirowos  d;  la  Real  Armsds, 

Y  DE  DON  JUAN  PEREZ, 

de  la  Navcgacioa  de  Philipioas, 

DE  OJlDRN  DEL  EXGmo.Sr..  VIRREV, 
£f>  !«  ImptcaCis  dci  Superior  Gobicrao. 


FACSIMILE   OF   THE   TITLE   PAGE   OF   THE   COSTANSO 

Diary  of  the  Spanish  officer  who  served  as  historian  of  the  expedition  of  1769 


42  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

c'ai)t;iin  and  cfcw  of  llic  Smi  Ai/IohIo,  \\  lio  i)i"oceeded  to  remove 
the  sick  sailors  aiul  soldiers  to  a  rude  lK)spital  which  they  had 
improvised  on  the  shore.  Like  the  earlA'  explorers,  they  were 
eliarmed  with  the  port  and  its  surroundings  and  soon  became 
enthusiastic  over  the  prospects  of  settlement.  "A  country  of 
joyous  aspect."  they  called  it,  and  no  one  lias  im^jrovcd  upon 
the  phrase. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  records  of  the  time  was  tliat  left  1)\- 
Costanso,  a  civil  engineer  and  cosmographer  of  the  expedition, 
who  came  on  the  San  Carlos.  He  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  the  Indians,  who  were  pi-esent  in  large  runribers  to  witness 
what  nuist  have  l)een  a  most  exciting  scen(^  for  them — the  ar- 
rival of  the  first  white  settlers.  The  Indians  were  very  shy,  at 
first,  but  it  seemed  al)solutely  necessary  for  the  Spaniards  to 
make  their  acquaintance  without  delay,  since  they  had  ui'gent 
need  to  obtain  a  fresh  supply  of  water.  The  water  question  ap- 
I)ears  early  in  the  annals  of  San  Diego,  and  stays  late ! 

The  Indians  were  finally  induc(Hl  to  i)arley  and,  after  pres- 
ents had  been  distributed  among  them,  undei-took  to  show  the 
strangers  where  they  could  find  a  fiowing  stream.  "They  went 
a  matter  of  three  leagues,"  says  Costanso,  "until  they  arrived 
on  the  l)anks  of  a  river  hennncd  in  on  either  bank  by  a  fringe 
of  willows  and  cottonwoods,  very  leafy.  Its  channel  must  have 
been  twenty  varas  wide  [about  55  feet]  and  it  discharges  into 
an  estuary  which  at  high  tide  would  admit  the  launch  and  made 
convenient  the  accomplishing  of  taking  on  of  water."  This  was, 
of  course,  the  San  Diego  River,  and  it  is  evident  that  there  luid 
been  a  fair  rainfall  in  the  Winter  of  1769.  A  good-sized  Indian 
village  was  found  in  the  valley,  and  Costanso  leaves  us  this  item 
of  society  gossip:  ''These  natives  are  of  good  figure,  well-built 
and  agile.  They  go  naked  without  more  clothing  than  a  girdle 
of  ixtle  or  very  fine  maguey  fiber,  woven  in  the  form  of  a  net." 
After  a  better  acquaintance  with  them,  he  drew  this  pictui-e  of 
the  Indians :  ' '  They  are  of  haughty  temper,  daring,  covetous, 
great  jesters  and  braggarts;  although  of  little  valor,  they  make 
great  boast  of  their  powers,  and  hold  the  most  vigorous  for 
most  valiant.  They  greatly  crave  whatsoever  rag;  but  when  we 
have  clothed  different  ones  of  them  on  repeated  occasions,  they 
would  present  themselves  the  following  day  stark  naked." 

The  temporary  pest  house  or  hospital  erected  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  sick  sailors  stood  at  Avhat  is  now  the  foot  of  IT 
street.  It  was  a  rude  affair,  made  of  canvas.  A  third  of  those 
who  had  come  on  the  San  Carlos  died  l)efore  the  ravages  of  the 
scurvy  were  stayed.  They  were  buried  there,  aiul  henceforth  the 
place  was  known  on  the  Spanish  charts  of  the  harboi-  as  Punta 
de  los  ^luei-fos.  (ir  Dead  Man's  Point. 


ARRIVAL  OF   LAND   PARTY  43 

It  was  oil  the  14th  of  May  that  Captain  Kivcra  arrived  with 
the  lirst  hmd  party.  This  consisted  of  twenty-five  sokliers,  from 
llic  I'i'csidio  (>r  l.iM-i^lo;  Father  .Iiiaii  (Jrespi,  Jose  Canizares,  who 
had  l)een  tlesi^natetl  to  write  a  diary  of  the  land  1i-ip,  thi-ee 
nndeteers,  and  a  biind  of  converted  natives  who  had  been  drawn 
from  one  of  the  missions  in  the  Sonlh.  Tlie  natives  were  bronchi 
along  for  the  purpose  of  performing  the  drudgei'.w  The  part\- 
had  been  lifty-one  days  on  the  march  without  incui-ring  any 
special  hardship.  As  the\-  a[)i)roached  San  Diego  they  met 
many  of  the  gentile  Indians,  and  when  they  came  in  sight  of 
the  ships  and  camp  they  were  welcomed  by  a  salute  of  fire-arms. 

Rivera  proceeded  at  once  to  establish  a  jnore  permanent  camj). 
moving  it  froin  the  present  site  of  the  city  to  the  neighborhood 
of  what  is  ]iow'  known  as  Old  Town,  in  ordei*  to  be  near  the  rivei-. 
The  exact  location  of  tliis  first  attempt  at  a  permanent  camp  is 
not  entirely  clear.  Costanso  says  it  was  on  the  "right  bank  of 
the  river,"  and,  if  he  used  the  term  as  it  is  now  understood,  he 
must  have  referred  to  the  north  bank  of  the  stream.  There  is 
a  tradition  in  Old  Town  to  the  effect  that  the  camp  was  on  the 
north  side,  though  the  more  general  impression  seems  to  l)e  that 
it  was  on  the  south  side,  not  far  from  the  famous  old  palms.  The 
camp  was  fortified,  a  few  rude  huts  built,  and  a  corral  made  for 
the  animals.  Here  the  whole  party  was  busy  for  six  w'eeks,  at- 
tending the  sick  and  unloading  supplies  from  the  San  Antonio. 
It  was  here  that  the  second  land  ])art\-  found  them  when  it 
reached  San  Diego  at  the  end  of  June.  Governor  Portoh'i  ai'- 
rived  June  29th  in  advance  of  his  men,  and  Father  Serra  .iust 
before  noon,  July  1st.  Besides  the  leaders,  the  party  included 
nine  or  ten  soldiers,  four  muletc^M's,  two  sei'vants  of  the  (Gov- 
ernor and  the  President,  aiid  forty-four  natives  of  Lower  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  personal  letter  which  Father  Serra  sent  to  Father  Pahm, 
his  intimate  friend  and  biographer,  supplies  an  account  of  the 
expedition  which  will  always  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most 
precious  memorials  of  San  Diego  history.  The  letter  in  full  is 
as  follows : 

Mv  Dear  "Friend  and  Sir: 

Thank  God  I  arrived  the  day  before  vestefday,  at  this 
port  of  San  Diego,  truly  a  fine  one,  and  with  reason  famous. 
Here  T  found  those  who  had  set  out  before  me,  by  sea  as  well 
as  by  land,  excepting  such  as  died  on  the  way.  The  brethren. 
Fathers  Crespi,  Vist-aino,  Parro.  and  Gomez  are  here  and,  with 
myself,  all  well,  tlianks  be  to  God.  Here  also  are  two  ves- 
sels; but  the  .S'rtH  Carlos  is  without  seamen,  all  having  died  ex- 
cept one  and  the  cook.  The  San  Antonio,  although  she  sailed  a 
month  and  a  half  later,  arrived  twenty  days  Ixfoie  the  Son 
Cfirhis,  losing  on  the  voyage  eight  S(>:im('n.  In  consequence  of 
this    loss,    tile    Sdii    Anhiuio    will    return    lo   San    TJlas,    to    priK^.irc 


44 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


seamen  for  herself  and  the  San  Carlos.  The  causes  of  the  delay 
of  the  San  Carlos  were,  first,  the  want  of  water,  and,  second, 
the  error  which  all  were  in  respecting  the  situation  of  this 
port.  They  supposed  it  to  be  in  thirty-three  or  thirty-four 
degrees  north  latitude;  and  strict  orders  were  given  to  Captain 
Vila  and  the  rest  to  keep  out  in  the  open  sea  till  they  should 
arrive  in  thirty-four  degrees,  and  then  make  the  shore  in  search 
of  the  port.  As,  however,  the  port  in  reality  lies  in  32  deg.  43 
min.  according  to  observations  which  have  now  been  made  they 
went  far  beyond  the  port,  thus  making  the  voyage  much  longer 
than  was  necessary.     The  jieople  got  daily  worse  from  the  cold 


FATHER  JUNIPERO   SERRA 

The  immortal  missionary  who  founded  the  settlement  of  San  Diego,  in  co-operation  with 

Spanish  governor  and  soldier,  Portola 


and  the  bad  water;  and  they  must  all  have  perished,  if  they 
had  not  discovered  the  port  about  the  time  they  did;  for  they 
were  quite  unable  to  launch  the  boat  to  procure  more  water, 
or  to  do  anything  whatever  for  their  preservation.  The  Fatlier 
Fernando  did  everytliing  in  his  power  to  relieve  the  sick;  and 
although  he  arrived  much  reduced  in  flesh,  he  had  not  the  dis- 
order, and  is  now  well.  We  have  not  suffered  hunger  or  priva- 
tions, nor  have  the  Indians  who  came  with  us;  all  have  arrived 
fat  ;ind  healthy. 

The   tract   through    which    \vc    have    jiassed   is    generally    very 
good  land,  with  plenty  of  water;  and  there,  as  well  as  here,  the 


THE   PIONEER   SETTLEMENT  45 

country  is  neither  rocky  nor  overcome  with  brushwood.  There 
are,  however,  many  hills,  but  they  are  composed  of  earth.  The 
road  has  been  in  many  places  good,  but  the  greater  part  bad. 
About  half  way,  the  valleys  and  banks  of  rivulets  beg;'n  to  be 
deliglitful.  We  found  vines  of  a  large  size  and  in  some  cases 
quite  loaded  with  grapes;  we  also  found  abundance  of  roses, 
which  appeared  to  be  the  same  as  those  of  Castile.  In  fine,  it 
is  a  good  country  and  very  different  from  that  of  Old  Califor- 
nia   [meaning   the    Peninsula]. 

We  have  seen  Indians  in  immense  numbers;  and  all  those 
on  this  coast  of  the  Pacific  contrive  to  make  a  good  subsis- 
tence on  various  seeds  and  by  fishing;  this  they  carry  on  by 
means  of  rafts  or  canoes  made  of  tule  [bulrush],  with  which 
they  go  a  great  way  to  sea.  They  are  very  civil.  All  the 
males,  old  and  young,  go  naked;  the  women,  however,  and 
even  the  female  children,  were  decently  covered  from  their 
breasts  downwards.  We  found  in  our  journey,  as  well  as  in  the 
places  where  we  stopped,  that  they  treated  us  with  as  much 
confidence  and  good  will  as  if  they  had  known  us  all  their 
lives;  but  when  we  offered  them  any  of  our  victuals,  they  al- 
ways refused  them.  All  they  cared  for  was  cloth;  and  only 
for  something  of  this  sort  would  they  exchange  their  fish  or 
whatever  else  they  had. 

From  this  port  and  intended  mission  of  San  Diego,  in  North- 
ern California,  3rd  July,  1769.  I  kiss  the  hands  of  your  Eever- 
ence,  and  am  your  affectionate  broth(*r  and  servant. 

Fr.  Junipeko   Skrra. 

Between  the  lines  of  this  remarkable  letter  glows  the  optimism 
of  the  great  missionary,  and  something  of  that  enthnsiasm  foi;^ 
the  region  and  its  possil)ilities  which  is  felt  by  all  who  come 
within  its  influence.  If  nothing  save  this  letter  had  come  down 
to  us  from  the  memorable  summer  of  1769,  we  should  not  have 
been  left  in  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  the  expedition,  nor  of  the 
aspect  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants. 

With  the  arrival  of  Father  Serra,  the  great  project  of  Galvez 
scored  its  historic  success,  a  fact  which  reflected  the  highest 
credit  upon  the  man  Avho  had  planned  it  to  the  last  detail.  Tie 
never  saw  the  country  himself,  l)ut  he  set  the  forces  in  motion 
which  saved  it  for  his  king  and  his  flag,  at  least  for  a  time,  and 
thus  he  deserves  lasting  remembrance  among  the  fathers  of 
California.  The  success  of  his  plans  in  uniting  the  four  branches 
of  the  expedition  at  San  Diego  furnished  a  base  from  which  the 
larger  scheme  of  settlement  could  be  carried  along  the  coast. 

The  Avork  of  establishing  a  real  settlement  began  with  the 
least  possible  delay.  The  place  selected  was  "a  point  of  middling 
height,"  as  Costanso  called  it.  a  hill  overlooking  OUl  Town 
now  known  as  Presidio  ITill,  on  the  site  of  an  Indian  village 
called  "Cosoy."  Standing  there  today  upon  the  ruins,  one  can 
well  understand  why  this  spot  was  chosen  and  cannot  fail  to 
admire  the  .iudgment  which  dictated  the  choice.  It  is  conve- 
niently located  both  as  to  the  harbor  and  as  to  the  indispensable 


i  «t*ex*   v"<><«-  Lc^if  .'!'^J-'^-''-  ■  -v^-^^^  / 


^^  /n^r./«*r7,  y^^^  ^^^.:^  .^sa^^,  ^^^-^^  .^  ..'j:,..^  ^^7 


■ffiAe  ,'^^:-**r:f  Axr.  <-'/.•  .-f'^' to  .^NKyt v«<<! '»y^ t--»r?  ifernm*7>-^rrr  mj^^/ia  p^fc 

^slx  ?/2aji  ,deJa.^^'-'.i  <ilO>7'/''>^  />*t^-'^<-'!''i'n'.'y  c::ic.f>''^^*^•'■f^Iy■x,t^ 
^,x  .-.^**«?  ,^/  4,,^-/-...v  .1-  ,'  ,  '-,'.  '  _..•/_.. V '!?■•;.■ -■••';  •.-^;  r^'- 
>7/>#«  >»7«4"  %v/^«>•"/-■'*•-^=i.-'i''^■"--<•"'  ''''^-"  .i4--*t-''"x  . i?<*^.f' •• - 


cull 

A»ft»S^tuo-  tie-'.  ■■■•-       ^. •»,<,/>/  '';y«  *=»'*  .-^.i*-*-*^  -  v.v^^^o  -'•<•/>«.- 
*»1^c'>£^.'*nj'A.'.'     Cox.  .  '/it^  /'•.•.l*.;  ^/><'»*?  ^/ic  ,5r^jiU.,'"!'^-;r--' " 


FACSIMILE   OF   A   PAGE   FROM    THE    DIARY   OF   FATHER    SERRA,    1769 


FIRST  MISSION   DEDICATED  47 

water  in  llic  rivci-.  jiiid  it  ('(HiiiiiaiKls  the  vnlK'v  on  one  hand, 
and  the  shore  of  the  bay,  on  the  other,  so  as  to  be  reasonably  safe 
from  attack  from  either  of  tliose  directions.  It  was  easy  to  for- 
tify, and  it  has  a  sightly  outlooiv  upon  land  and  sea.  The  soil 
is  deep  and  I'ieh,  and  therefore  well  adapted  to  support  the 
gardens  and  orchards  wliicli  are  always  a  ])art  of  missi(m 
establishments. 

Ilei-e,  in  the  space  of  little  more  than  two  weeks,  rude  earth- 
works were  tlirown  up  as  the  nucleus  of  a  presidio  or  fort, 
houses  that  were  little  mon^  llian  huts  were  hastily  constructed, 
and  the  lai-i^cst  one  set  a])art  as  the  mission  ])uilding.  Every- 
thing was  ready  on  the  16th  of  July  for  the  dedication  of  the 
first  mission  on  the  soil  of  California.  It  was  named  the  Mis- 
sion of  San  Diego  and  the  old  record  declares  that  it  was  built 
at  the  expense  "of  the  Catholic  monarch,  Don  Carlos  III.,  King 
of .  Spain,  whom  God  prosper,  defrayed  under  most  ample 
authority  fi-om  his  Excellency,  Don  Carlos  Francisco  de  Croix, 
]\Iarques  de  Croix,  present  Viceroy,  Governor,  and  Captain- 
General  of  this  New  Spain,  by  the  most  Illustrious  Don  Joseph 
de  Galvez,  of  the  Council  and  Chambei-  of  his  Majesty  in  the 
royal  and  supreme  of  the  Indies,  Intendent  of  the  Army,  and 
Visitador  General  of  this  New  Spain,  In'  the  religious  of  said 
Apostolic  College,  San  Fernando  of  Mexico." 

The  ceremonies  attending  the  dedication  were  as  elaborate 
and  pompous  as  circuinstances  permitted.  The  military  and 
naval  officers  were  on  hand  with  their  troops,  who  strove  to  make 
up  in  dignity  what  they  lacked  in  numbers.  Father  Serra  and 
his  priests  ])erformed  their  part  with  the  utmost  reverence  and 
solemnity,  praying  that  they  might  "put  to  flight  all  the  hosts 
of  hell  and  subject  to  the  mild  yoke  of  our  holy  faith  the  bar- 
barity of  the  gentile  Dieguinos."  The  Cross  was  raised,  the 
royal  standard  thrown  to  the  breeze,  incense  sent  up  from  a  tem- 
porary altar,  and,  from  the  branches  of  a  convenient  tree,  the 
mission  l)ell  rang  out  upon  the  stillness  of  the  valley. 

This  was  the  true  natal  day  of  San  Diego — July  16,  1769. 
The  life  of  the  settlement  dates  from  that  moment.  Presidio 
Hill,  with  its  mouldering,  tile-strewn  ruins,  is  historic  ground 
and  should  be  preserved  as  such,  forever.  It  is  the  birthplace 
(»f  civilization  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  the  Fiiited  States, 


CHAPTER  III 


THE   TAMING  OF  THE   INDIAN 


ATI1P:R  SERRA  and  his  associates  now  stot)d 
at  the  thresliokl  of  their  real  work — the  tani- 

FV^YI  ing-  of  the  Indian — and  a  stnpendons  task  it 
jjv\  nnist  have  seemed,  even  to  the  optimistic 
2)\\  minds  of  the  missionaries.  They  were  a  long 
distance  from  any  reliahle  base  of  supplies, 
and  the  means  of'  comnnmieation  were  most 
uncertain.  The  country  itself  produced  prac- 
tically nothing,  as  yet,  for  their  sul)sistence.  The  climate,  of 
course,  was  glorious,  l)ut  it  has  been  proved  again  and  again 
that  men  cannot  live  on  climate,  even  in  San  Diego.  Water 
and  fuel  they  had  in  abundance,  and  supplies  to  last  them  a 
few  months ;  Init  beyond  this  they  nuist  create  the  situation 
which  shoidd  make  permanent  settlement  possible.  In  order  to 
do  so  successfully,  the^^  nmst  convert  the  Indian  in  a  double 
sense,  for  it  was  not  enough  to  bring  him  to  the  foot  of  the 
Cross ;  he  must  also  be  converted  to  haluts  of  industry  and  made 
a  useful  mem])er  of  civilized  society.  No  one  but  an  enthusiast 
like  Junipero  Serra,  equipped  with  a  fund  of  experience  in  sim- 
ilar work,  could  possibly  have  contemplated  the  undertaking 
with  anything  like  confidence  in  the  result,  and  even  the  stout 
heart  of  that  great  teacher  and  lover  was  sorel^y  tried  before  the 
seed  took  root  and  began  to  tloui'ish. 

The  Indians  who  swarmed  about  the  bay  of  San  Diego  were, 
apparently,  as  poor  material  as  ever  came  to  the  social  mill. 
All  the  early  observers,  except  the  missionaries,  spoke  of  them 
with  contempt.  Humboldt  classed  them  with  the  inhabitants  of 
Van  Diemen's  Land,  who,  of  all  human  beings,  seemed  nearest 
to  the  brute.  Neither  physically  nor  intellectually  did  they  com- 
])are  with  the  Indians  of  Eastern  America  nor  with  those  whom 
the  settlers  encountered  in  the  region  of  the  jMississippi  and  its 
tributaries.  No  one' ever  called  the  San  Diego  Indian  ''the  noble 
red  man."  for  he  was  neither  nolih^  nor  red,  but  a  covetous, 
thievish,  and  sneaking  creatnre,  of  a  brownish  complexion,  some- 
thing like  the  soil.  There  were  no  orators  among  them  and,  it 
is  to  l)e  feared,  very  few  brave  men,  for  when  they  fought  they 
acted  like  a  pack  of  cowards.  They  never  attacked  an  enemy 
exce]»1    ill   overwhelming  numbers,   and  they  ran  like  so  many 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO  49 

('Ills  Ix'loic'  llic  snap  oi'  a  wiiip  llic  iikmiiciiI  their  eiiciiiy  obtained 
a  jiKiinciitary  advantaiie. 

It  is  iiiii)l('asaiit  lo  speak  harshly  of  Itic  poor  cfcatvires,  but 
no  jnst  a,i)preciation  of  wliat  the  missioiiai-ics  a('eoiiii)lislied  iu 
later  years  can  l)e  had  unless  we  heiiiti  wilh  a  true  estinuite  of 
the  human  material  they  had  lo  deal  witli  iti  huihling  their 
institutions.  It  was  very  pooi-  material,  and  the  Mission  Fathers 
did  exeeedinu'ly  well  in  moiildinu'  it  into  some  semlilanee  of 
civilization. 

The  Indians  had  their  homes  in  iiide  Inits,  made  of  sticks  and 
mnd,  and  generally  grouped  in  \illages.  Some  ol'  these  villages 
were  large,  containing  hundreds  of  huts,  with  a  population 
which  often  reached  a  thousand  oi*  moi-e.  They  were  governed 
by  hereditary  chiefs,  with  a  captain  in  each  village.  Thc\yjiad 
some  simi)le  laws,  wliich  were  made  from  time  to  time  to  meet 
conditions  as  they  arose,  and  the  death  i)enalty  was  inflicted  for 
cei'taiu  crimes.  The  method  of  execution  was  shooting  with 
arrows.  Prisoners  of  war  were  cruelly  tormented  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  assembled  chiefs.  Marriage  cjistoms  were  quite  sim- 
ilar to  those  now  common  among  Southwestern  Indians,  and  pun- 
ishment for  infidelity  fell  exclusively  upon  the  wife.  They  had 
a  vague,  instinctive  belief  in  a  supreme  being,  and  they  showed 
much  reverence  for  certain  animals.  The  owl.  for  example,  was 
held  in  esteem,  and  the  porpoise  was  regarded  as  an  intelligent 
being,  intrusted  with  the  duty  of  guarding  the  world. 

The  men  went  naked,  but  the  women  wore  some  clothing,  for 
sake  of  decency,  yet  furnished  scant  patronage  for  the  dress- 
maker. They  wore  a  single  garment  of  deer  skin,  or  were  clad 
in  braided  strands  of  rabbit  skins,  which  hung  to  the  knees. 
Frequently  the  garment  was  adorned  with  bright  beads  or 
grasses,  for  even  Indian  women  had  some  concern  foi-  their 
appearance  and  desired  to  make  themselves  attractive.  They  A 
painted,  of  course,  after  their  own  fashion,  smearing  their  faces  M 
with  colored  nuid.  — -J 

The  Indian  diet  cannot  be  recommended,  for  they  were  fond 
of  rats^Tound-owls  and  snakes,  and  regarded  a  large,  fat  lo- 
cust, roasfed  on  a  stick,  as  a  imrticular  delicacy.  They  caught 
plenty  of  fish,  and  knew  how  to  cook  them;  and  they  had  all 
sorts  of  game,  together  with  many  things  which  grew  w'ild  in 
the  vegetable  kingdom.  On  the  whole,  they  lived  pretty  well, 
and  it  was  the  life  of  one  large  family,  genei-ally  quite  peace- 
ful, but  sometimes  marred  by  fierce  tribal  wars. 

The  San  Antonio  had  sailed  for  San  Bias  on  -Inly  Oth,  leav- 
ing the  San  Carlos  iu  the  harbor  to  await  its  return  with  sea- 
men to  take  the  places  of  those  who  had  fallen  by  scurvy  and 
now  slept  in  the  sands  along  the  shore.  Portola  had  marched 
northward  to  Monterey  on  the  14th.     The  little  settlement  was 


FAMOUS  PALMS  OF  OLD  TOWN 

Planted  at  the  foot  of  Presidio  Hill  (which  appears  in  background)  in  1769,  and   unquestionably 

the  first  palms  ever  planted  in  California 


GLOOMY    DAYS   ON   THE   HILL  51 

jiloiic  ill  llic  wilderness.  Tlici-e  were  forty  persons,  all  told,  in- 
clnding  priests,  soldiers,  sick  sailors,  and  Indians  from  Lower 
California. 

With  the  dedication  of  the  Presidio  and  the  Mission,  the  first 
institntions  had  been  established  in  what  is  now  the  State  of 
California.  These  institutions  were  typical  of  Spanish  civiliza- 
tion—  the  soldier  and  the  priest  working  side  by  side,  but  al- 
\\'ays  wiih  the  sword  above  the  Cross  in  point  of  authority-.  It 
was  essentially  a.  military  government,  and  the  commandant 
was  empowered  to  deal  out  justice,  civil  and  criminal.  The 
San  Diego  garrison  was  always  i^itiably  weak  and  could  never 
have  protected  the  Spanish  title  to  the  country  against  any 
serious  attack.  In  fact,  the  whole  military  establishment  along 
the  coast,  aftei-  the  four  districts  of  San  Diego,  Santa  Barbara, 
^lonterey,  and  San  Francisco  had  been  organized,  was  a  mere 
shell,  with  less  than  two  hundred  soldiers.  There  were,  in  ad- 
dition, a  few  mechanics  and  numerous  native  laborers.  Each 
soldier  had  a  broadsword,  lance,  shield,  musket,  and  pistols,  to- 
gether with  six  horses,  a  colt,  and  a  nuile.  As  settlement  in- 
creased, the  carrying  of  the  mails  l)etween  the  missions  was 
the  most  arduous  and  useful  service  the  soldiers  performed. 

Father  Serra  and  his  associate  minister.  Father  Parron,  found 
it  very  difficult  to  make  Indian  converts.  It  was  no  task  to 
assemble  the  natives,  for  they  swarmed  to  Presidio  Hill  in  such 
large  numbers  as  to  become  a  nuisance.  They  had  well-de- 
veloped bumps  of  curiosity  and  were  persistent  beggars,  but. 
fortunately,  they  were  afraid  of  the  strangers'  food.  They 
would  have  none  of  it,  for  they  imagined  it  was  the  food  the 
Spaniards  ate  which  made  so  many  of  them  sick.  It  is  dread- 
ful to  think  what  would  have  happened  to  the  white  men  if 
the  Indians  had  liked  their  food  as  much  as  their  cloth  and 
trinkets  —  they  would  have  been  eaten  out  of  h(mse  and  home! 
As  it  was,  the  Indians  became  so  obnoxious  that  trouble  could 
not  be  avoided.  They  tried  to  plunder  the  San  Carlos,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  keep  a  guard  constantly  on  board  to  |)rotect 
the  ship. 

The  trouble  reached  its  acute  stage  on  August  15th,  when  the 
new  settlement  was  a  month  old.  It  was  a  feast-day  and  Father 
Parron  was  saying  mass  on  the  ship,  with  a  guard  of  two  sol- 
diers. During  his  absence,  the  Indians  burst  into  the  ^lission 
and  proceeded  to  strip  the  clothing  from  the  beds  of  the  sick. 
Four  soldiers  rushed  to  repel  them,  but  they  were  greeted  with 
a  volley  of  arrows.  A  boy  was  killed  —  he  was  Jose  Maria 
Vegerano,  the  first  person  of  white  blood  to  die  a  violent  death 
in  San  Diego  —  and  the  blacksmith  was  wounded.  Serra  and 
his  fellow-priest.  Yiscaino.  had  just  finished  mass  and  Avere 
sitting  together   in   the   hut.      Yiscaino    rose   to   shut   the   door 


*»     "-"e^ 


52  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

and  received  an  arrow  in  the  hand  at  the  moment  when  the 
boy  staggered  in  and  fell  dead  at  Serra's  feet.  The  four  sol- 
diers gave  the  Indians  a  volley  of  nmsket-balls  and  the  black- 
smith fonght  like  a  demon.  The  Indians  ran  away,  notwith- 
standing their  superior  nnml)ers.  but  they  had  the  assurance 
to  return  soon  and  request  medical  aid  for  their  wounded. 

The  Indians  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  gunpowder  and 
it  did  them  good,  for  they  behaved  much  better  after  that  ad- 
venture. Nevertheless,  the  good  Fathers  had  the  wisdom  to 
erect  a  stockade  around  the  Mission  and  to  make  a  rule  for- 
bidding the  savages  to  come  inside  without  first  depositing  their 
weapons.  The  Indians  continued  very  neighborly,  yet  none 
embraced  the  faith.  This  does  not  seem  remarkal)le  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  missionaries  could  not  converse  with  them  in- 
telligil)ly.  having  to  rely  wholly-  upon  sign  language  at  first. 
Even  when  one  of  their  men  had  mastered  the  savage  tongue 
sufficiently  to  act  as  interpreter,  they  were  still  unable  to  en- 
roll a  single  neophyte.  So  far  as  known,  this  was  absolutely  the 
most  discouraging  experience  the  missionaries  had  ever  had, 
for  nearly  a  year  had  passed  without  one  conversion.  But  that 
was  not  the  worst  of  it.  Converts  could  wait  but  mouths  must 
be  fed.     The  supplies  "were  dwindling  while  sickness  increased. 

Those  were  gloomy  days  on  Presidio  Hill  —  the  Summer  and 
Fall  of  1760  —  in  s])ite  of  the  smiling  sky  and  genial  atmos- 
phere. No  converts,  no  progress  toward  cultivating  the  soil,  no 
white  sails  on  the  horizon  to  tell  of  returning  ships  from  ]\Iex- 
ico  —  nothing  but  sickness  and  death  and  the  chill  portent  of 
coming  disaster.  Of  the  forty  whom  Portola  had  left  when  he 
marched  away,  nineteen  died  before  he  returned,  and  the  sur- 
vivors were  heartsick  with  the  sad  work  of  laying  them  in  their 
graves.  Of  those  who  died,  eight  were  soldiers,  four  sailors,  six 
Indians,  and  one  a  servant.  No  Avonder  the  savages  wanted 
none  of  their  food  ! 

On  January  24.  1770,  the  disheartened  party  of  twenty 
souls  living  within  the  stockade  on  Presidio  Hill  was  startled 
by  a  discharge  of  musketry.  It  was  Portola  and  his  men,  re- 
turning from  their  futile  search  for  Monterey.  But  they  brought 
small  comfort  for  Father  Serra.  Portola  had  accomplished 
nothing  in  the  North;  he  could  not  see  that  Serra  had  accom- 
l)lished  anything  in  the  South,  and  he  declared  that  San  Diego 
ought  to  be  abandoned  while  there  were  yet  supplies  enough 
to  enable  the  ]iarty  to  get  back  to  civilization.  Poor  Junipero 
Serra  was  liearl-brolcen  at  the  decision.  He  was  not  a  soldier 
of  Ibe  llai:,  seekini;  1o  win  t<'i-i'itory  for  liis  King,  but  a  soldier 
of  the  Cross,  seeking  to  win  souls  for  his  God.  He  could  not 
abandon   the  gentiles  of  California   to  the  fate  of  the  heathen 


THE   COLONY   SAVED  53 

;ni(l  while  lie  acknowledged  \ho  woi-ldly  wisdom  of  Portola's 
advice,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  his  own  private 
decision  was  to  stay  at  every  cost  and.  if  need  be,  to  offer  his 
life  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  altrir  of  tlic  Mission  of  San  Diegx). 
For  Portola  spoke  from  without,  and  Junipero  Serra  only 
obeyed  the  Voice  Within. 

Nevertheless,  preparations  were  made  for  the  nb;indonmcnt, 
and  IMarch  19th  was  fixed  as  the  day  for  the  foi-m;d  ending 
of  the  work  -which  had  been  so  auspiciously  begun  in  the  pi-e- 
vi(ms  July.  But  one  thing  could  save  San  Diego  now  —  not  only 
ScUi  Diego,  but  California  as  well,  for  Galvez  had  planned  the 
conquest  of  the  whole  coast.  This  one  thing  was  the  timely 
return  of  the  San  Antonio  which  had  been  so  long  awaited  in  vain 
that  no  one  now  expected  it — no  one,  save  the  immortal  priest. 
He  went  up  to  the  hilltop  on  that  fateful  morinng  and  turned 
his  eyes  to  the  sea  as  the  sun  rose.  All  day  long  he  watched 
the  waste  of  waters  as  they  lay  there  in  the  changing  light.  It 
was  a  scene  of  marvelous  beauty,  and,  as  he  watched  and  prayed, 
Junijiero  Serra  doubtless  felt  that  he  drew^  very  close  to  the 
Infinite.  So  devout  a  soul,  in  such  desi)erate  need,  facing  a 
scene  of  such  nameless  sublimity,  could  not  have  doubted  that 
somewhere  .iust  below  the  curve  of  the  sea  lay  a  ship,  with 
God's  hand  pushing  it  on  to  starving  San  Diego.  And  as  the 
sun  went  down  he  caught  sight  of  a  sail  —  a  ghostly  sail,  it 
seemed,  in  the  far  distance.  Who  can  ever  look  upon  the  height 
above  the  old  Presidio,  when  the  western  sky  is  glowing  and 
twilight  stealing  over  the  hills,  without  seeing  Father  Serra 
on  his  knees,  pouring  out  his  prayer  of  thanksgiving ! 

Captain  l^erez  had  made  a  quick  trip  to  San  Bias,  but  had 
been  long  delayed  in  his  preparations  for  returning.  His  orders 
were  to  proceed  to  Monterey,  where  it  was  supposed  Portola's 
men  would  be  found  in  need  of  help,  and  it  was  the  merest  ac- 
cident which  sent  him  to  San  Diego  at  the  last  moment  when 
his  arrival  could  save  the  colony.  This  accident  Avas  the  loss 
of  an  anchor  in  Santa  Barbara  CUiannel  and  the  consequent 
need  of  seeking  a  safe  harbor.  He  had  been  told  by  the  natives 
at  Santa  Barbara  that  the  land  party  had  passed  south,  but 
he  would  have  gone  to  Monterey,  nevertheless,  in  accordance 
with  his  strict  orders,  except  for  the  loss  of  the  anchor.  Thus 
it  haiipened  that  he  reached  the  Bay  of  San  Diego,  four  days 
after  the  missionary  had  caught  the  first  glimpse  of  his  blessed 
sail. 

The  arrival  of  supplies  and  recruits  changed  the  whole  face 
of  the  situation.  Portola  thought  no  more  of  abandoning  the 
settlement,  and  decided  to  renew  the  noi'thern  exploration  and 
the  (piest  for  INIonterey.  Father  Viscaino  went  to  Lower  Cali- 
fornia to  obtain  live-stock  and  other  necessaries.     Father  Serra 


54  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

proceeded  with  liis  work  of  missiou-building  with  a  g^ad  heart 
and  renewed  vigor. 

Presidio  Hill  was  not  destined  to  be  the  permanent  seat  of  the 
mission  establishment.  The  story  of  the  two  or  three  years 
immediately  sncceeding  the  return  of  Captain  Perez  cannot  be 
told  with  any  fnllness,  since  all  sonrces  of  infoi-niation  are  bar- 
ren on  this  period,  and  since  the  early  mission  records  were 
destroyed  by  tire,  but  the  fact  that  the  mission  was  removed 
supplies  convincing  evidence  that  it  was  not  prosperous.  How- 
ever, some  progress  was  made  and  there  is  good  authority  for 
the  statement  tliat  in  1773  seventy-six  converts  had  been  enrolled 
and  some  material  progress  made.  The  live-stock  at  that  time 
consisted  of  tlic  foUoAving:  forty  cattle,  sixty-four  sheep,  fifty- 
five  goats,  nineteen  hogs,  two  jacks,  two  ])nrros,  seventeen  mares, 
three  foals,  nine  horses,  fcmr  riding  and  eighteen  pack  mules — ■ 
a  total  of  283  animals. 

There  was  now  no  thought  of  abandoning  the  settlement.  It 
had  begun  to  take  hold  both  of  the  natives  and  the  soil,  but  there 
^vere  evidently  imperative  reasons  for  changing  its  location. 
One  imi)ortant  consideration  was  the  fact  that  the  presence  of 
the  soldiers  seriously  interfered  with  the  work  of  interesting  the 
Indians,  both  spiritually  and  industrially.  A  removal  had  been 
suggested  by  Commandant  Pages  in  1773,  but  Serra  opposed  it. 
Father  Jaume,  however,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  mission,  threw 
his  influence  in  favor  of  the  removal.  He  desired  an  atmosphere 
which  should  be  wholly  free  from  the  distraction  of  the  mili- 
tary, yet  not  so  far  removed  from  the  Pi-esidio  as  to  deprive  him 
of  protection.  In  his  walks  about  the  country  he  had  discovered 
the  ideal  location.  In  fact,  it  must  have  suggested  itself,  for 
he  had  but  to  follow  the  river  a  few  miles  up  the  fertile  valley 
to  see  where  nature  ]iointed  with  unerring  finger  to  the  very 
place  which  seems  to  have  been  created  for  his  purpose. 

Standing  now  among  the  relics  of  that  historic  settlement,  one 
can  easily  imagine  the  joy  which  must  have  filled  the  old  mis- 
sionary's heart  as  he  took  in  each  detail  of  the  scene  and  roughly 
outlined  the  work  which  his  followers  were  to  do.  Junipero 
Serra  was  not  himself  the  builder  of  the  San  Diego  Mission, 
nor  did  he  personally  organize  the  work  which  was  done  there 
for  a  period  of  more  than  two  generations.  His  was  the  genius 
which  could  conceive  great  projects,  then  set  others  at  work  to 
carry  them  out,  inspired  with  his  own  confidence  in  the  benefi- 
cent consequences  of  the  Avoi-k.  His  name  outshines  those  of  all 
his  contemporaries,  for  there  were  many  lieutenants  and  an 
army  of  followers  where  there  was  l)ut  one  great  leader  who 
saw  the  end  fr-om  the  beginning.  "When  any  important  work  is 
accom])lis]ir(l,  all  who  have  a  i)art  in  it  are  entitled  to  their  share 
of  credit;   bnl    i1    is   llic   man   of   liold  conceptions.   1lie   man   (ni- 


SITE   OF  THE   MISSION 


55 


(lowed  wilti  llic  ci-calivc  iiistiiid  to  iiiilijitc  ui'cjil  undertaking's 
and  to  set  foires  in  motion  to  secure  their  exeeutioii,  who  changes 
the  face  of  his  times  and  takes  high  rank  in  human  history. 

The  spot  selected  foi'  tlie  i)ermanent  mission  is  at)()ut  six  miles 
\\[)  Ihe  \alle.\-  from  the  original  settlement  on  Presidio  Mill.  It 
possesses  every  advantage,  in  tlie  way  of  soil  and  water,  of  shel- 
tering hills  and  gentle  climate,  for  an  agricultural,  industrial, 
and  [)astoral  establishment  iindei-  a  patriarchal  foi'ni  ol"  govern- 
ment, likt'  that  of  the  Mission  Fathei-s.  IT  there  was  a  di'aw- 
back.  it  was  the  fact  that  the  rivei'  did  not  furnish  wa1er  ;i1   all 


STATUE  or  FATHER  SERRA  AT  MONTEREY 


seasons,  and  that  some  engineering  skill  and  a  large  amount  of 
labor  were  required  to  secure  a  reliable  supply  for  the  oi-chai'ds 
and  gardens.  A  perennial  stream  would  have  been  an  improve- 
ment, yet  the  water  problem  was  readily  solved  after  a  time  l)y 
going  a  few  miles  u])  the  river,  l)uilding  a  <lam,  and  conducting 
a  supply  to  the  place  of  use  by  means  of  tunnels  and  ditches. 
This  was  not  done,  however,  at  first,  nor  was  there  ui-gent  need 
of  it  until  the  connnunity  had  grown  to  some  size.  Thei-e  was 
good  pasturage;  grain  could  be  raised  without  irrigalion;  ami 
water  could  be  had  from  the  natural  flow  of  the  stream  for  one 
crop  of  vegetables  and  small  fi'uits  each  season,  while  the  rich 


56  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

soil  along  tin-  i-ivrr,  with  j)l('iity  of  under.m-iuiiKl  water  not  far 
from  the  snrfaee,  encouraged  the  growth  of  trees.  Thus  the  mis- 
sionaries were  able  to  nuike  an  early  start  in  their  new  location 
and  could  safeh'  reserve  the  finer  foruLS  of  development  until  the 
time  when  they  should  l^e  called  upon  to  sustain  hundreds  or 
thousands  by  a  more  intensive  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

Aside  from  these  material  considerations,  the  place  must  have 
appealed  powerfully  to  the  devoted  i)ri('sts.  It  was  like  their 
native  S])ain  in  all  its  essential  aspects;  it  was  in  tlie  midst  of 
the  gentiles  whom  they  wished  to  christianize  and  to  make  use- 
ful in  field  and  slioj);  and  the  scenery  offered  by  hill  and  valley, 
by  sea  and  mountains,  was  as  charming  as  the  eye  of  man  ever 
l)eheld.  So  there  the  missionaries  went  in  August,  1774,  to  nuike 
a  new  start  and  to  lay  the  foundations  of  a  mission  which  they 
fondly  lioped  might  last  for  many  centuries.  For  more  than  a 
><^ar  the  work  proceeded  prosperously,  with  a  constant  increase 
in  the  number  of  converts,  with  growing  herds  and  increasing 
crops,  and  with  Fathers  Fuster  and  Jaume  in  charge  of  affairs. 
All  was  quiet  as  the  hills  and  peaceful  as  the  sunshine.  The 
converted  Indians  seemed  to  enter  more  and  more  into  the  true 
spirit  of  the  work. 

Thus  the}^  celebrated  the  Feast  of  Saint  Francis,  founder  of 
the  Franciscan  order,  with  every  evidence  of  satisfaction,  on 
October  3  and  4,  1775.  On  the  first  day  the  priests  baptized 
sixty  new  converts,  and  on  the  next  day  Spaniards  and  Indians 
assisted  in  the  solemn  mass  and  procession  and.  later,  joined  in 
sport  and  Y>\ny.  There  were  horse  and  foot  races.  The  Span- 
iards gave  exhibitions  in  the  art  of  fencing  and  the  Indians  dis- 
phiyed  their  skill  with  bows  and  arrows.  Evervliody  seemed 
happy  and  nothing  occurred  to  mar  the  harmony  of  the  scene. 
And  yet  within  a  month  of  that  time  the  Indians  rose  in  revolt, 
the  mission  was  wiped  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  the  cause 
of  the  Franciscans  received  a  staggering  blow  at  the  monnMit 
when  its  promoters  felt  entirely  secure. 

There  is  no  explanation  of  the  event  except  the  innate  cruelty 
of  the  Indian  character.  They  had  received  nothing  but  kind- 
ness from  the  missionaries.  The  soldiers  had  not  attempted  to 
oppress  them.  Those  who  liad  accepted  the  new  faith  had  been 
clothed  and  fed,  while  those  who  rejected  the  faith  had  been 
let  alone.  The  Spaniards  had  been  in  the  country  for  more  than 
six  years,  and  if  the  savages  i-esented  their  ju'csence  it  took  them 
a  long  time  to  discover  their  state  of  mind.  Had  they  been  a 
l)eople  of  any  spirit  they  could  have  expelled  ov  ainiihilated  the 
intruders  at  short  notice  ami  killed  the  seed  of  civilization 
wherever  it  touched  the  soil.  Instead,  they  acquiesced  in  the 
Spanish  occupation,  took  all  they  could  get  from  the  mission- 
aries, and  then,  when  they  had  fully  established  their  friendly 


THE   MISSION   DESTROYED  57 

clijii-jiclfr,  turned  into  demons  ;md  sought  to  strike  down  the 
hand  that  was  leading  them  from  darkness  to  light.  Such  was 
the  way  of  tlie  Indian. 

A  few  days  aftei"  the  feast,  two  of  tlie  new  converts  slyly  left 
the  mission  and  I'eturned  to  the  mountains,  where  they  pro- 
ceeded to  agitate  for  a  movement  against  the  Spaniards,  visiting 
one  i'aneh(n'ia  after  another  to  urge  an  ujn-ising.  They  found 
most  of  the  vilhiges  eager  foi'  the  adveiitui-e,  though  a  few- 
declined  to  have  any  part  in  it.  November  4,  1775,  was  fixed 
upon  as  the  date  for  the  attack,  and  large  numbers  of  Indians 
wended  their  way  toward  the  seaeoast  to  engage  in  the  affaii*. 
The  plan  was  to  divide  the  forces  and  attack  the  mission  and 
Presidio,  which  were  six  miles  apart,  simultaneously,  and  it  was 
arranged  that  the  firing  of  the  mission  should  be  the  signal  for 
the  attack  on  the  Presidio.  The  eagerness  of  the  force  assigned 
to  the  mission  saved  tlie  l*residio,  for  the  party  which  was 
headed  down  the  vallex-  saw  the  flames  at  the  mission  and  rea- 
soned that  the  soldiers  at  the  fort  would  be  alarmed  at  the  sight 
and  thus  prepared  to  resist  attack.  They  overestimated  the 
Spanish  soldiei-s,  who  were  sound  asleep  instead  of  standing 
faithfnll\-  on  guard;  and  they  slept  through  that  fateful  night 
in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  tragedy  in  progress  a  few  miles  up 
Mission  ^'alle^^  The  Indians,  however,  turned  back  and  joined 
their  comi)anions  in  the  assault  upon  the  mission  buildings. 
Thus  it  happened  that  the  savages  were  eight  hundi-ed  sti'ong 
wlien  they  stealthily  surrounded  the  sleeping  Spaniards — eight 
hun(h-ed  sneaking  cowards,  marshaled  for  a  battle  against  eight 
friendly  whites  under  cover  of  midnight  darkness!  Surely,  they 
should  have  made  short  work  of  them,  yet  when  day  dawned 
there  were  white  men  still  alive  in  the  mission  and  it  was  the 
savages  who  were  fleeing,  laden  with  dead  and  wounded.  But 
is  was  an  awful  night  up  there  in  the  shadow  of  the  hills,  where 
the  stars  looked  down  upon  a  scene  which  seemed  eloquent  of 
peace. 

The  first  move  of  the  Indians  was  to  surround  the  huts  of  the 
converts,  waken  them  gently,  and  command  them  to  remain 
quiet,  on  pain  of  instant  death;  the  next,  to  invade  the  vestry 
and  steal  the  church  ornaments.  Evidently,  none  of  the  Span- 
iards were  troubled  with  insomnia,  for  these  pi-eliminaries  were 
accomplished  without  rousing  them.  Then  the  Indians  snatched 
firebrands  from  the  camp-fire  which  still  burned  in  fi-ont  of  the 
guard-house  and  applied  them  to  the  building,  which  was  soon 
enveloped  in  flames.  At  la.st,  the  savages  were  ready  to  ann(mnce 
their  presence,  which  they  did  by  sounding  a  horril>l(>  war-cry 
with  all  the  power  of  theii'  eight  hundred  lungs. 

There  were  sleeping  in  the  mission  the  two  priests,  Fathei-s 
Fuster  and  Jaume,  two  children  who  wcvo  the  son  and  nephew 


58  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

of  Lieutenant  Ortega  (then  absent  at  Capistrano),  four  soldiers, 
two  carpenters,  and  a  blacksmith — eleven  in  all.  but  only  eight 
who  could  tight,  as  one  of  the  carpenters  was  eonlined  to  his  bed 
with  illness  and  the  children  could  do  little  l)ut  shriek. 

The  soldiers  got  to  work  [)i-()]ii[)tly  witii  their  nniskets  and 
Father  Fuster  joined  them  in  the  guard-house,  with  the  chil- 
dren. The  blacksmith  tried  to  do  the  same,  but  was  killed  in 
the  attemi^t.  Oiie  of  the  carpenters  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
guard-house.  ])ut  the  one  who  was  contined  to  his  l)ed  was  ter- 
I'ibly  wounded  and  died  the  next  day.  "O  Indian,  them  who 
hast  killed  me,  imxy  (lod  pardon  thee!"  he  exclaimed,  and  when 
he  made  his  testament,  the  next  morning,  he  left  to  the  mission 
Indians  his  small  savings  and  belongings.  Could  there  be  a 
more  striking  evidence  of  the  lofty  spirit  with  which  the  Fathers 
imbued  those  anmnd  them  than  the  Thristlike  attitude  of  this 
dying  cari)enter  ? 

But  it  is  Father  Luis  Jaiune  who  will  stand  out  forever  in 
boldest  relief  as  men  read  the  story  of  that  terrible  night.  He 
was  (juickly  awakened  and  instantly  understood  wliat  was  hap- 
pening, yet  he  did  not  seek  the  shelter  of  the  guard-house  nor 
seize  a  weapon  for  defense.  He  walked  straight  to  the  nearest 
and  wildest  gi'ou])  of  savages  and,  extending  his  arms  and  smil- 
ing a  gracious  gi-eeting,  said:  "Children,  love  God!"  If  there 
was  ever  a  moment  when  the  phrase,  "Love  God,"  meant  "Love 
your  fellow  men,"  it  was  the  moment  when  this  saintly  priest 
stood  without  feai'  in  th(^  midst  of  those  howling  demons.  lie 
loved  them  and  would  not  have  harmed  a  hair  of  their  heads, 
but  they  fell  upon  him  in  overwhelming  numbers,  dragged  him 
down  to  the  river,  tore  his  clothes  from  his  1)ody,  tortured  and 
stabbed  him,  and  left  him  a  mutilated  mass  of  unrecognizable 
flesh. 

In  the  meantime  the  six  \mn\  and  two  children  in  the  guard- 
house were  fighting  for  their  lives  in  the  midst  of  roaring 
flames.  The  place  became  too  hot  for  them,  and  they  decided 
to  move  into  a  slight  building  adjoining,  which  served  as  a 
tem]iorary  kilcheii.  It  had  only  three  sides  and  was  wide  open 
to  attack'  Oh  the  olhei'.  and  through  this  o])en  side  came  con- 
stant volleys  of  arrows,  clubs,  and  firel)rands.  To  improve 
their  situation,  the  defenders  l)rought  boxes,  sacks,  and  chests 
from  Ihe  adjoining  storeroom  and  thus  barricaded  the  open 
side.  Only  lln'ee  remained  to  cai-ry  on  the  fight  —  two  soldiers 
and  j-'^athcr  i'^uster  —  as  all  Ihe  others  had  been  disabled.  At 
this  critical  moment,  the  party  of  Indians  who  had  gone  to  the 
Pr(>sidio  returnc^d  and  reinforccMl  the  crowd  at  the  mission.  It 
was  then  that  the  ])riest  noticed  that  one  ol'  the  chests  form- 
ing the  ini|)rovis(Ml  breastwork  contained  all  the  powder  that 
)'<'niaine(l  and  was  in  innninetit   dangei"  of  e.\j)loding,  for  it  was 


A   STUNNING   BLOW  59 

already  afire.  He  seized  it,  extinuuislicd  the  llaiiies,  and,  with 
the  aid  of  the  two  ehihlren,  proceeded  lo  lond  the  .i^uns 
for  the  sokliers,  who  shot  as  fast  as  tliey  eould,  and  alwa,>'s  shot 
to  kill.  So  the  fearful  night  woi-e  on.  Daybreak  came,  and 
the  craven  besiegers  liad  not  dared  to  carry  the  frail  shanty  and 
overwhelm  its  two  active  defenders  by  bold  assault.  They 
picked  up  their  dead  and  wounded  and  went  back  to  the  moun- 
tains, leaving  the  Presidio  untouched,  but  the  mission  a  smok- 
ing ruin. 

The  neo])hytes  crawled  out  of  their  huts  and,  with  tears  and 
sobs,  assured  Father  Fuster  and  his  bleeding  companions  that 
they  had  been  closely  confined  throughout  the  night  and  un- 
able to  lift  a  hand  in  their  defense.  This  was  probably  true 
enough,  yet  it  seems  a  pity  that  they  did  not  avail  themselves 
of  the  opportunity  to  write  one  noble  page  to  the  credit  of 
their  race  by  showing  some  evidence  of  loyalty  to  those  who  had 
befriended  them.  However,  Father  Fuster  recpiired  no  ex- 
planations, but  sent  some  of  the  converts  to  notify  the  Presidio, 
and  others  to  find  the  missing  priest.  Father  Jaume.  They 
found  the  lacerated  corpse  by  the  river  and  identified  it  by  rea- 
son of  its  whiteness. 

The  la/y  incompetents  at  the  Presidio  listened  with  wide- 
mouthed  wonder  to  the  tale  which  the  Indian  messengers 
brought  them  from  the  mission.  They  had  heard  nothing,  seen 
nothing,  during  the  night,  but  had  slept  disgracefully  well. 

The  destruction  of  the  ]\Iission  of  San  Diego  was  a  stunning 
blow  to  the  Franciscans,  and,  indeed,  to  the  whole  scheme  of 
Spanish  settlement  on  the  coast  of  California.  The  vibrations 
of  the  shock  did  not  stop  at  Presidio  Hill,  l)ut  went  on  up  the 
coast,  and  culminated  at  Monterey  in  the  form  of  a  general 
alarm.  A  relief  party  was  at  oiice  put  in  motion,  and  Father 
Serra  hastened  south  to  lend  the  inspiration  of  his  courage  and 
of  his  indomitable  persistence  in  the  holy  cause.  There  was  no 
serious  thought  of  abandoning  the  settlement,  for  this  would 
have  encouraged  both  Indian  and  foreign  aggression  and  might 
have  put  an  end  to  Spanish  dominion  uuich  sooner  than  it  came 
in  response  to  the  inexorable  logic  of  events. 

The  survivors  of  the  mission  fight  were  removed  to  the 
Presidio  and  tenderly  nursed  l)ack  to  health.  The  dead  were 
buried  at  tiie  Presidio,  but  man\-  years  afterward  the  body 
of  Father  Luis  Jaume  was  removed  to  the  mission  and  i)laced 
between  the  altars,  where  it  yet  rests.  The  i)lace  where  he 
sleeps  should  be  marked  by  an  imperishable  moiuiment.  for  he 
was  one  of  those  rarest  of  heroes  who,  refusing  to  do  violence 
even  in  self-defense,  look  smilingly  into  the  face  of  deatii  and 
go  down  t(»  the  dust  with  a  prayei-  foi-  their  enemies  on  their 
saintly  lips. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   DAY  OF  MISSION  GREATNESS 

aiEX  PRESIDENT  SERRA  heard  of  the  noble 
(l(uith  of  Father  Jaume,  he  exclaimed:     "God 

WV^YI  he  thanked!  now  the  soil  is  watered;  now  the 
j{v\  rednction  of  the  Dieguinos  will  Ije  com- 
P)\(  |)h4ed."  And  it  was  indeed  a  case  where 
the  blood  of  the  martyr  became  the  seed  of 
the  church.  The  mission  was  re-established 
and  dedicated  in  1777,  though  it  was  not  com- 
pleted until  1784,  and  was  vet  to  be  finally  dedicated  in  1813. 
But  the  uprising  in  which  Father  Jaume  lost  his  life  really 
marked  the  end  of  the  first  hard  period  of  struggle  in  which  the 
outcome  seemed  doubtful,  while  the  rapid  recovery  from  that 
disaster  signalized  tlic  l)eginning  of  the  long  day  of  mission 
greatness. 

Of  that  day  it  is  important  that  we  should  have  a  ti'ue  con- 
ception, for  it  will  always  supply  a  romantic  and  picturesque 
background  to  local  history;  but  it  would  be  an  error  to  sup- 
pose that  it  is  vitally  related  to  the  city  which  finally  grcAV  up 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  ]iioneer  settlements  and  which  now 
bears  the  name  of  San  Diego.  The  real  history  of  the  place  be- 
gins at  a  later  period  than  that  which  saw  the  passing  of  the 
Mission  Fathers  and  the  crumbling  of  their  works  under  the 
pitiless  footsteps  of  the  years.  Nor  were  their  institutions  or 
their  influence  much  more  substantial  than  their  adobe  walls. 
And  yet,  for  a  period  of  about  two  generations,  the  Spanish 
soldier  and  the  Franciscan  missionary  ruled  the  land  and, 
partly  by  leading  and  partly  by  driving,  converted  many  of  the 
savages  to  the  Vv^ays  of  religion  and  civilization. 

Conflicting  tales  come  down  to  us  from  the  earliest  years  of 
the  joint  reign  of  the  soldier  and  the  priest,  and  the  written 
records  are  so  bound  with  red-tape  and  saturated  with  conscious 
piety  that  it  is  frequently  difficult  to  get  at  the  facts ;  but 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  sword  was  the  constant  ally  of 
the  Cross,  and  that  the  glory  of  God  and  of  the  King  were 
utterly  synonymous  to  the  minds  of  that  generation.  Neither  is 
there  any  doubt  of  the  earnestness  of  the  missionaries  in  bring- 
ing souls  to  Clii'ist.  They  were  so  deeply  in  earnest  that  they 
(lid    tidl    licsi1;ilc    1o    (■tii|)loy    the    uiilitary    arm    as   a    uieans   of 


TREATMENT   OF  INDIANS  61 

l'orcil)lc  (•(»iivcrsi(ni.  Tlu're  is  i-c.isdii  lo  believe  that  whole  vil- 
lau'es  were  soiiielimes  siirroutided  ni\d  tiieir  iiihiihilaiits  driven 
to  Ihe  missions.  Jl  ap])eai's  that  the  soldiers  themselves  had  a 
poor  opinion  of  the  Indians,  yet  co-operated  heartily  with  the 
priests  in  bringing  them  under  snhjection.  Apparently,  neither 
the  military  nor  ecelesiastieal  authorities  were  under  any  il- 
lusion concerning  the  inherent  unfitness  of  the  Indians  for 
real  citizenship.  Both  clearly  understood  that  they  could  only 
be  utilized  in  connection  with  a  patriarelial  establishment. 
Somebody  else  must  think  and  plan  and  direct;  it  was  their 
part  to  labor,  and  to  labor  in  the  fear  of  God.  As  to  the  treat- 
ment of  the  Indians,  accounts  differ  widely.  They  were  better 
clothed,  fed,  and  housed  than  in  their  native  state.  They 
learned  usefid  arts.  They  caught  a  spark  of  industry  which, 
had  they  been  made  of  more  inflammable  material,  might  easily 
have  been  fanned  into  a  fierce  enthusiasm  for  the  modes  of 
civilized  life,  and  thus  have  lifted  them  permanently  from  bai'- 
barism.  But  there  were  man_\'  impartial  observers  who  re- 
garded their  condition  as  no  better  than  slavery.  Thus  Alfred 
Robinson,  in  his  fascinating'  Ixxtk.  Life  Id  C(iIifofnia,  said 
that  "it  is  ]iot  unusual  to  see  numbers  of  them  driven  along 
by  the  alcaldes,  and  under  the  whip's  lash  forced  to  the  very 
doors  of  the  sanctuary."  lie  adds:  "The  condition  of  these 
Indians  is  miserable  indeed;  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  many  attempt  to  escape  from  the  severity  of  the  religious 
discipline  of  the  Mission.  They  are  pursued,  and  generally 
taken ;  when  they  are  flogged,  and  an  iron  clog  is  fastened  to 
their  legs,  serving-  as  additional  punishment,  and  a  warning 
to  others." 

That  the  g'ood  Fathers  thought  it  more  important  to  save 
the  souls  of  the  Indians  than  to  spare  their  feelings  or  their 
backs,  is  easily  susceptible  of  belief,  for  their  missionary  zeal 
knew  no  bounds.  Better  a  converted  soul  in  chains  than  a  free 
heathen  !  There  is  no  doulit  that  they  sincerely  sid^scribed  to 
this  doctrine,  and  they  were  no  more  fanatic  than  many  others 
of  their  time  all  over  the  world.  Nevertheless,  the  fair-minded 
student  will  not  forget  that  while  they  were  saving  souls  they 
were  organizing  a  mass  of  cheap  labor  which  worked  for  the 
enrichment  of  the  Fi-anciscan  order,  and  founding  settlements 
which  they  thought  would  secure  the  ]>ermanent  possession  of 
an  opulent  land  for  the  benefit  of  their  sovereign.  In  other 
words,  their  duty  and  interest  happened  to  b(>  the  same,  and 
they  had  thus  a  double  motive  for  what  they  did.  They  thought 
it  was  good  religion  and  good  statesmanship. 

When  the  Spaniards  came,  the  whole  beautiful  western  slojie 
of  the  present  San  Diego  County  belonged  to  no  one — but  the 
Indians.     With  the  raising  of  the  royal  standard  it  came  under 


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MISSION   AT   ITS   BEST  63 

the  nominal  ownership  of  Spain,  and  it  was  a.ureed  that  each 
of  the  missions  sliould  take  so  nnieh  of  the  territory  as  it  needed. 
The  San  Diego  ]Mission  laid  nnder  tribute  something  like  forty 
square  miles,  with  its  religious  and  industrial  head(inarters  in 
Mission  Valley  and  its  military  base  on  Presidio  Hill.  It  was 
exi)ei'ted  that  the  mission  would  become  self-supi)orting,  and 
more.  This  expectation  was  grandly  fulfilled  after  the  first  hard 
Ncars  had  been  outlived.  But  ships  arrived  each  year  in  the 
harbor  with  supplies  for  the  military  establishment.  The  day 
came  when  they  were  able  to  depart  with  larucr  cargoes  than 
they  brought,  for  when  the  INIission  Fathers  had  enrolled  thou- 
sands of  laborers,  and  when  their  herds  had  multiplied,  they  had 
a  surplus  of  good  things  for  exportation.  The  boundaries  of 
the  mission  domain  seem  to  have  been  quite  indefinite,  l)ut  when 
the  property  was  finally  transferred  to  Santiago  Argiiello,  in 
1846.  the  deed  covered  58,208  acres;  22  and  21-100  acres,  con- 
taining the  mission  bnibliu'^s  and  gardens,  were  reserved  for  the 
church  and  still  remain  in  its  ownership. 

In  organizing  the  first  expedition,  in  1769.  Galvez  supplied 
it  with  nuiterial  for  ])lanting  such  field,  garden,  and  orchard 
croi)s  as  he  thought  adajited  to  the  climate.  It  is  probable  that 
the  famous  olive  orchard,  which  still  flourishes,  and  which  is 
recognized  as  the  mother  of  all  the  olive  trees  in  California,  owed 
its  existence  to  the  thoughtfulness  of  Galvez.  There  were  many 
other  varieties  of  trees  of  the  early  planting,  such  as  peaches 
and  pears,  but  the  olive  outlives  all  its  contemporaries,  and 
those  ancient  trees  in  ^Mission  Valley  should  remain  to  receive 
the  homage  of  generations  unborn. 

By  1783  the  San  Diego  ]\Iission  had  begun  to  assume  some- 
thing of  its  permanent  appearance.  The  church  occupied  a 
si)ace  eighty-two  feet  long  by  fifteen  wide,  running  North  and 
South.  The  granary  was  nearly  as  large.  There  was  a  store- 
house, a  house  for  sick  women  and  another  for  sick  men.  a  mod- 
est house  for  the  priests,  a  good-sizt^l  larder,  and  these  enclosed 
on  three  sides  a  square  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  feet  long,  the 
remaining  side  being  enclosed  by  an  adobe  wall  eight  feet  high. 
As  the  years  went  on  the  establishment  was  gradiially  extended 
to  provide  a  series  of  small  shops  around  the  patio  for  the  arti- 
sans and  mechanics  and  acconnnodations  for  the  increasing  num- 
bers of  neophytes  outside  the  walls,  but  close  at  hand.  It  was 
not  until  1804  that  the  buildings  took  on  the  final  sliape  which 
is  preserved  in  the  pictures  of  the  mission  period.  But  the  plan 
of  the  Fathers  was  always  the  same,  with  its  low,  gently-slanting 
roofs,  its  interior  square,  its  Roman  towers ;  and  the  material  was 
always  adobe,  with  burnt  tile  for  roofs,  windows,  and  doorways. 
Tlie  walls  were  about  four  feet  thick.  Thei-e  can  be  no  (juestion 
that  the  architecfni-e  liai-juonized  with  the  landscape,  for  it  was 


64  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

the  art'hiteetnre  of  Sp<iin  in  a  landscape  resemblin>>'  Si)ain  in  all 
essential  aspects. 

There  is  a  tradition  of  unusual  interest  concerning-  the  huild- 
in^'  of  the  San  l)ie,uo  Mission,  which  is  related  as  follows  in  the 
Sail  D'liijd  \V(<l,hi  Vnlo)i  of  September  24,  1878: 

From  ;in  oM  woinau  now  living  uear  San  Luis  Eey,  named 
Joset'a  I'etcrs,  and  vvlioni  we  believe  to  be  at  least  124  years  of 
age,  Mr.  W.  15.  ('outs  learned  that  the  timber  for  the  mission 
came  from  Smitli 's  Mountain,  at  least  sixty  miles  inland  from 
this  city.  The  old  lady  says  that  after  the  timl)ers  had  all 
been  nicely  hewed  and  prepared,  and  blessed  by  the  priests  on 
the  mountain,  on  a  certain  day  a  vast  uumber  of  the  stoutest 
Indians  were  collected  and  stationed  in  relays  of  about  a  mile 
apart,  all  the  way  from  tlie  summit  of  the  mountain  to  the 
foundations  of  the  mission  luiildings  in  the  valley  near  this 
city.  At  a  given  signal  the  timbers  were  sprinkled  by  the  as- 
semliled  priests  on  the  mountain,  and  were  then  hoisted  on  tlie 
shoulders  of  the  Indians,  and  were  thus  carried  to  the  first  re- 
lays and  changed  to  their  shoulders,  and  so  on,  all  the  way  to 
San  Diego,  without  touching  the  ground;  as  it  was  considere<l 
sacrilege  to  have  one  of  them  touch  the  ground  from  the  time 
of  starting  until  it  arrived  at  its  final  destination  in  the  ("luircli. 
As  there  are  an  immense  number  of  these  timbers,  it  shows 
the  zeal  and  devotion  of  the  Indians  at  that  date,  and  their 
obedience   to   the   Eeverend   Fathers. 

As  the  mission  yrevv  it  l)ecanie  evident  that  the  San  Dic^o 
River  could  not  support  the  larfje  community  without  somethinu' 
better  than  the  crude  works  which  had  been  built  at  first.  This 
condition  gave  rise  to  some  talk  al)0ut  removing  the  mission,  and 
there  are  early  reports  still  extant  which  speak  of  the  "barren 
soil."  But  the  soil  needed  only  water  to  make  it  produce  suc- 
cessive crojis  of  hay  and  vegetables,  and  annual  harvests  of 
fruit  in  great  vai'iety.  There  is  nothing  more  remarkable  about 
these  ]u-iestly  builders  than  the  versatility  of  their  talent  and 
tlie  mannei'  in  which  they  met  all  demands.  Thus  they  were 
able  to  supply  the  engineering  capacity  to  solve  the  problem  of 
a  permanent  water  supply.  They  went  ten  miles  up  the  valley, 
found  bedi'ock,  and  proceeded  to  build  a  dam  of  solid  masoiuw 
across  the  river  bed,  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  long  and 
twelve  feet  thick.  The  remains  of  this  work  ai'e  still  in  exist- 
ence and  exhibit  a  wall  fourteen  feet  high,  as  seen  from  the 
lower  side.  The  water  was  conducted  by  means  of  well  built 
ditches  aiid  a  shoi-t  tunnel,  and  supplied  the  mission  at  all  seasons 
of  the  year.  T(  is  this  achievement  which  gives  the  Mission 
Fathf^rs  a  liigh  place  in  the  history  of  irrigation,  and  the  remains 
of  tliat  ancient  dam  should  be  regarded  as  a  hallowed  shrine  in 
a  laiul  wliei-e  \v;i1ei'  is  the  (iod  of  the  Harvest.  TFaving  thus 
t lioi'diiglily  possessed  themselves  of  the  cliai-miiii;  \alley,  and. 
es1al)lislie(l  tln^  matei'ial  life  ol'  flieii'  mission   niioii   \\v\\\  foiinda- 


ROUTINE   OF  MISSION   LIFE  65 

tions,  the  Franciscan  enthusiasts  were  at  last  ready  to  i)roceed 
triumphantly  with  their  designs,  both  religious  and  secular. 

It  is  pleasant  to  linger  upon  the  personal  character  of  these 
Califoriii;i  Fathers.  While  they  furnished  no  e\'ce])ti()n  to  the 
rule  that  "Ihere  is  a  black  sheep  in  every  flock,"  lliey  were  for 
the  most  |»;ir1  men  of  the  i-aresl  virtues,  conseci-ated  to  the  work- 
in  which  they  were  engaged.  It  woidd  b(^  difHcult  to  schM't 
from  hnmaii  annals  two  loflici-  clKti'jictei's  tlian  -Innipero  Serra 
;iiid  Tjuis  .lanme,  yet  these  men  .-ire  but  (•onsi)i(Mioiis  examples 
of  the  s])iri1  which  moved  the  Franciscans  in  ;dl  their  labors  for 
the  upbuilding  of  Califoi-nin.  The  early  priests  came  from 
Spain,  the  later  ones  from  Mexico,  and  observers  appear  to  have 
agreed  in  the  opinion  that  the  former  somewhat  excelled,  both 
in  attainments  and  zeal.  It  seems  very  remarkalile  that  men  so 
deeply  innuei'sed  in  spiritual  concerns  should  also  have  been 
practical  men  of  atfairs  and  capable  executives.  Had  they  not 
been  very  competent  in  both  respects  they  would  have  failed  in 
their  difficult  undertaking.  This  very  niuisnal  combination  of 
qualities  seems  to  have  been  common  to  nearly  nil  the  priests, 
and  it  is  little  wonder  that  they  obtained  the  confidence  of  the 
Indians  to  a  very  large  degree  and  became  their  trusted  advisers 
in  all  their  troubles. 

The  ordinary  dress  of  the  Fi'anciscan  was  a  loose  -woolen 
garment,  of  brownish  color,  reaching  nearl\'  to  the  ground.  It 
was  made  whole  and  put  on  over  the  head.  The  sleeves  were 
wide,  and  the  hood  usually  rested  on  the  shoulders,  though  it 
could  be  drawn  over  the  head  when  the  weathei-  re(|nired.  A 
girdle  was  worn  at  the  waist  and  was  usually  tied,  with  tassels 
hfinuinsi'  down  in  front.  It  was  one  of  the  requirements  of  the 
order  that  priests  should  have  shaven  crowns,  the  circular  spot 
being  about  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter.  Thus  the  priest 
was  readily  distinguished  wherever  he  went,  and  his  benevolent, 
picturesque  figure  will  always  stand  out  clearly  in  California 
history. 

As  soon  as  the  mission  was  firmlv  established  the  nnmber  of 
neophytes  steadily  increased,  thouuh  it  fluctuated  a  good  deal 
with  the  passing  years.  The  life  of  the  place  soon  settled  down 
into  a  regular  routine,  but  it  was  ever  marked  by  two  predom- 
inant facts  —  worship  and  labor.  The  activities  of  the  day 
began  at  daylight.  Everybody  who  was  able  to  move  went  to 
mass.  Then  the  invarial)le  breakfast  of  ground  barhw  oi-  atole 
was  served  and  sunrise  found  everybody  ready  for  the  daily 
task.  The  midday  meal  was  served  between  11  and  12  o'clock. 
Again  gro\uid  barley  did  duty  in  various  foi'ms.  Sometimes 
nuitton  was  supplied,  and  frequentl\  the  Spanish  frijolcs,  or 
beans.  The  sick  and  aged  were  fed  hii'gely  on  milk,  which  was 
SDHiethini;-   (iF    a    bixni'\-.      .\n    inlei'esting    cnstoni    was    the    (bs- 


66  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

tributiuD  of  a  liquid  made  of  vinegar  and  sweetened  water, 
Avhich  was  carried  through  the  tields  in  the  hot  afternoon  on 
the  l)acks  of  burros  and  always  received  with  enthusiasm  by 
the  workers.  At  six  the  evening  meal  Avas  served.  This  con- 
sisted principally  of  the  inevitable  ground  barley  and  of  such 
JUits  and  wild  berries  as  the  Indians  gathered  for  themselves. 

The  commissary  department  was  organized  on  a  semi-mili- 
tary basis  with  a  keeper  of  the  granary  in  charge.  He  dis- 
tril)uted  rations  to  each  individual  or  family.  The  unmarried 
neophytes  carried  their  share  to  a  connnon  kitchen  where  it 
was  prei)ared  and  then  served  at  a  common  table.  The  married 
men  took  their  rations  to  their  homes  and  shared  them  with 
their  families. 

At  sunset  the  angelus  summoned  the  Indians,  the  workmen, 
and  the  priests  to  the  chapel,  where  the  litany  was  sung  and 
the  evening  blessing  pronounced.  This  marked  the  ending  of 
the  long  day  of  devotion  to  religion  and  labor.  Each  night 
found  the  mission  a  little  richer  and  the  Indian  no  poorer. 

The  life  of  the  Indian  girls  and  unmarried  women  was  some- 
what different  and  the  echo  of  cheerful  lavighter  comes  down  to 
us  through  the  years.  There  was  a  low  building  built  around 
an  open  court  which  served  as  a  sort  of  nunnery  under  the 
supervision  of  a  trusted  old  Indian  woman.  Here  the  girls  and 
young  women  lived,  weaving  and  spinning,  and  making  all  the 
cloth  which  was  used  at  the  mission.  They  seem  to  have  been 
hai)py  in  this  association  and  to  have  had  many  love  affairs 
which  ripened  into  lawful  marriage  with  the  approval  of  the 
priests. 

The  Fathers  ruled  their  little  kingdom  with  a  strong  hand, 
Avhich  was  doubtless  necessary.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that 
discipline  was  indispensable  and  that  the  failure  to  maintain 
it  must  have  resulted  in  speedy  demoralization.  Imprisonment 
was  a  common  punishment,  Init  the  priests  did  not  hesitate  to 
use  the  I'od  for  minoi-  offenses.  The  most  serious  cases  were 
turned  over  to  the  military  authorities  at  the  Presidio  and  some- 
times resulted  in  the  execution  of  the  culjirits  by  shooting. 

Alfi'ed  Robinson  visited  the  mission  at  the  time  of  its  great- 
est prosperity  and  left  the  following  account  of  the  hospitality 

he    enjoyed  : 

Hiding  along,  following  the  conrse  of  the  river  up  the  valley, 
passing  on  their  way  two  or  three  small  huts,  without  anything 
particular  to  note,  they  reached  the  Mission,  where  they  met 
the  two  Father  Missionaries  at  the  door,  they  having  just  re- 
turned from  a  walk  around  the  premises.  The  visitors  were 
w-elcomcd,  and  alighted  to  have  half  an  hour's  chat  before 
dinner — that  is,  before  twelve  o'clock,  their  usual  hour  for 
that  meal;  and  accordingly  sat  down  on  ime  of  the  rude  benciies 
so   generally    found    at    .mII    tJiese    estaMishinciits.      The    author's 


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68  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

friend,  being  .'ui  old  ,'u-(juaintaiice  of  the  Fathers,  had  considei- 
able  to  say  to  Ihiiu  in  relation  to  their  travels,  which  was  of 
great  interest  to  them.  At  length  the  church  bells  announced 
the  hour  of  noon,  when  both  the  holy  friars  turned  around, 
and  knelt  upon  the  Ijcnch  u])on  which  they  had  been  sitting, 
with  faces  turned  to  the  building,  while  three  or  four  young 
pages  knelt  by  their  side,  on  the  pavement,  when  the  elder  of 
the  two  friars  commenced  the  Aiif/dus  Domini,  in  a  very  devout 
manner,  and  led  the  prayer,  which  was  responded  to  by  the 
brother  friar  and  the  pages,  the  bells  of  the  church  chiming 
an  accompaniment. 

During  the  prayer  a  large  fly  alighted  on  the  wall  ,iust  in  front 
of  the  Father,  who,  apparently  without  any  attention  to  the 
prayer,  was  watching  the  course  of  the  fly  and  following  it  with 
the  large  round  head  of  his  cane,  as  it  moved  about,  sometimes 
up,  sometimes  down,  sometimes  to  the  right,  sometimes  to  the 
left,  and  ready  to  annihilate  it,  when,  at  the  closing  of  the 
prayer,  and  pronouncing  the  word  Amen!  Jesus!  he  brought 
Ms  cane  down  on  the  poor  fly  and  crushed  it,  and  then  turned 
around  to  renew  the  conversation,  as  though  nothing  had  trans- 
pired. This  incident  was  amusing  to  the  beholder,  but  serves 
to  show  the  simplicity  of  the  reverend  Father,  who  was  proba- 
bly not   aware   of   having  committee!   any   impropriety. 

Dinner  was  now  announced,  when  they  entered  through  the 
large  reception-room  into  the  elining-room,  where  the  table  was 
spread,  at  which  they  sat  down,  aucl  had  an  entertainment 
of  the  usual  guisados,  their  fritos  anel  azados,  fri Jules,  and  the 
universal  tortilla  de  inaiz,  and  plenty  of  good  native  wine,  with 
the  usual  dessert  of  fruits  peculiar  to  the  climate;  after  which 
the  old  friars  retired  to  take  their  siesta,  and  the  author  and 
his  friend  hurried  away  on  their  return  to  the  town,  where 
they  arrived  after  half  an  hour's   ride. 

The  economic  life  of  the  Mission  was  not  confined  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  irrigated  fields  and  gardens  in  the  fertile 
valley  or  the  simple  manufacturing  that  went  on  in  the  quaint 
little  shops  around  the  patio.  The  Mission  Fathers  w^ere  the 
merchants,  the  great  stockmen,  and  even  the  bankers,  of  their 
period.  They  were  busy  men,  indeed,  with  their  spiritual  af- 
fairs, their  trade,  and  their  management  of  immense  herds  of 
livestock.  Vessels  came  to  the  port  in  increasing  numbers,  trav- 
elers constantly  passed  along  the  trail  from  Lower  California 
to  the  north,  anel  ranches  were  gradually  established  in  the 
mountains.  Thus  it  happened  that  the  mission  establishment 
more  and  more  fulfilled  the  function  of  an  ordinary  town  as  a 
trading  center.  There  were  great  o])portunities  for  making 
money,  and  the  shrewd  priests  made  the  most  of  them.  Tliey 
were  bent  upon  the  enrichment  oF  tlicir  order  Ixn-niise  this  meant 
a  constant  increase  of  their  power,  including  the  power  to  do 
good  to  the  gentiles. 

In  those  days  the  waters  along  the  coast  swarmed  with  sea- 
otters,  a  vahiabh'  1'iii--1)earing  animal.  The  innests  eiUM)uraged 
llie  linnting  of  lliese  animals  1)\-  Indians  and  others,  and  thus 


LIVESTOCK    INDUSTRY 


69 


huill  ii|)  ;i  |)r()lil;il)lc  I'lir  Ir.-idc.  Tlu'y  also  Ijouglit  oilier  sl^iiis, 
usually  paying  for  thciii  with  ,i;oods  from  their  store,  and  were 
thus  able  to  make  a  (l()ul)h_'  profit  on  the  ti'ansaction.  Tliey  were 
the  first  and  best  customers  of  tlie  ships  when  they  began  to 
come  arotind  the  Horn  Avith  cargoes  from  New  England,  and 
their  store  became  constantly  more  important  as  a  distr Uniting 
center  for  all  imported  goods  re(iiiired  in  the  country,  and  as 
a  clearing  house  for  surplus  prodticts  available  for  shipment. 
They  sometimes  had  large  amounts  of  coin,  which  they  ke])t 
beneath  the  tile  flooring  in  their  rooms.  Their  reputation  for 
integrity  was  so  high  that  they  were  implicitly  trusted  with  the 


MISSION   RELICS 


savings  and  property  of  others,  and  they  were  thus  able  to  per- 
form a  useful  service  as  bankers  for  their  neighbors. 

The  largest  business  operation  conducted  by  the  priests  was 
in  connection  with  the  live-stock  industry.  They  brought  onl\' 
18  head  of  cattle,  but  by  the  year  1800,  they  had  six  hundred 
cattle,  six  thousand  sheep,  and  nearly  nine  hundred  hoi-ses.  In 
1830,  the  number  of  cattle  had  risen  to  fifteen  thousand,  of 
sheep  to  twenty  thousand,  and  they  had  thousands  of  hogs. 
The  hoi*ses  which  they  originally  brought  to  tliis  countr,y  were 
shipped  from  Spain  and  were  of  Arabian  lilood.  The  annual 
harvest  also  reached  large  proportions,  sometimes  exceeding 
thirty  thousand  bushels  of  grain.  The  cattle  were  wastefully 
slaughtered,  after  the  manner  of  the  time,  aiul  were  considered 
chiefly  valua])le  for  tallow   and   liides.   which  were  sold  to  the 


70  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

masters   of   the  ships   eoiiiiiig   to  the   port.      Only   the   choicest 
])ortions  of  the  beef  were  used  for  food. 

From  1777  to  1838  —  a  period  of  fifty-six  years  —  life  flowed 
smoothly  on  at  the  ^lission  and  the  Franciscans  waxed  strong 
and  prosperous.  Two  other  missions  were  established  within 
the  County,  at  Pala  and  San  Luis  Rey,  the  latter  being  founded 
on  June  13,  1798,  by  Father  Antonio  Peyri,  and  named  in 
honor  of  Saint  Louis,  who  was  Louis  IX.  of  France.  These 
JMissions  also  prospered  and  lent  strength  to  the  mother 
settlement  in  Mission  Valley.  The  total  number  of  baptisms 
from  1769  to  1846  at  the  Mission  of  San  Diego,  was  7126 ;  of 
confirmations,  1726;  of  marriages,  2051.  It  would  be  inter- 
esting to  know  the  total  value  of  property  accunmlated,  and 
the  total  amount  of  wealth  pi-odueed,  during  the  same  period. 
These  facts  are  not  available,  but  we  know  that  the  half-century 
of  rule  by  military  and  ecclesiastical  governinent  was  a  day  of 
material  greatness,  as  it  undcnialily  was  of  marked  spiritual 
achievement. 


CHAPTER  V 


THE   END   OF  FRANCISCAN  RULE 

HE  EOOTIXG  of  the  Franciscans  in  California 
rested  from  the  beiiinning'  upon  the  powei-  of 
Spain.  They  could  not  have  come  at  all  with- 
out the  financial  and  military  support  of  the 
Spanish  monarch,  nor  could  they  have  re- 
mained save  with  the  aid  of  his  soldiers. 
When  the  i)ower  of  the  Castilian  began  to 
■wane,  it  was  inevitable  that  the  Franciscan 
rule  should  diminish  in  proportion,  and  that  even  the  institutions 
M'hich  they  had  founded  should  begin  to  crumble  and.  at  last, 
become  a  mere  memory  with  no  monument  except  mouldering 
heaps  of  adobe. 

Spain's  empire  in  Mexico  lasted  for  three  centuries.  It  was 
in  1521  that  Coi'tes  virtually  completed  his  conquest,  and  it  was 
in  1821  that  Iturbide  wrested  the  countr.y  from  the  feeble  grasp 
of  Ferdinand  VII.  The  ^lission  of  San  Diego  was  tlien  almost 
at  the  zenith  of  its  prosperity,  and  as  the  good  Fathci's  basked 
in  the  sunshine  or  looked  out  upon  their  smiling  fields, 
they  fondly  b(4ieved  that  their  works  would  endure  to  bless  the 
land  and  enrich  their  order  for  many  generations  to  eonu^  They 
knew  that  the  intei'nal  fires  of  revolution  had  been  blazing  in 
^Mexico  for  more  than  a  decade,  but  had  little  fear  that  the  hand 
which  had  held  the  region  for  three  hundred  years  would  lose 
its  hold,  at  least  in  theii-  time. 

The  Spanish  statesmen  had  given  the  missionaries  the  utmost 
latitude  ])ecause  their  scheme  of  converting  and  utilizing  the 
Indian  [)opulation  was  admira])ly  adapted  to  meet  the  political 
necessities  of  the  Empire  in  this  fai-  country.  But  Mexico  had 
dift'erent  necessities  and  naturally  {)roeeeded  to  make  ditfei-ent 
plans.  It  had  no  time  to  lose  in  strengthening  itself  against  the 
rising  power  of  the  United  States.  It  could  not  leave  so  pve- 
eious  a  possession  as  California  to  the  control  of  an  element  which, 
at  best,  could  be  but  lukewarm  toward  the  new-born  ])ower 
which  had  overthrown  Spanish  control,  ami  thus  done  violence 
to  the  great  tradition  of  which  the  missions  were  themselves  an 
important  part.  Moreover.  Mexico  had  friends  to  reward  as 
well  as  enemies  to  punish.  Some  of  the  men  who  had  fought  its 
battles.   a)id   who   would    l)e    neeih^l   to   fight    its    l)attles   agaiii, 


72  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

looked  with  longiug  eyes  upon  the  rich  cloniiuioiis  of  the  mis- 
sions and  began  to  dream  of  founding  great  families  and  great 
estates. 

It  is  a  very  convenient  thing  to  be  able  to  pay  your  debts  with 
other  people's  property.  ^Mexico  was  in  this  fortunate  position 
and  proceeded  to  take  advantage  of  it.  In  1824  the  Coloniza- 
tion Law  was  enacted.  This  authorized  the  government  to  make 
grants  of  unoccupied  lands  to  ]Mexican  citizens  to  the  extent  of 
eleven  square  leagues.  Under  this  law  thousands  of  acres  were 
parceled  out  among  the  supporters  of  the  government.  These 
grants  encroached  upon  the  mission  holdings  and  gave  the 
Fathers  their  first  shock  of  serious  apprehension  for  the  future. 
In  1832  the  ^lexican  power  mustered  the  full  courage  of  its  con- 
victions, its  necessities,  and  its  desires.  It  passed  the  Act  of  Sec- 
ularization, which  was  simply  an  act  of  confiscation,  from  the 
Franciscan  point  of  view.  It  was  the  object  of  this  legislation 
to  take  all  the  property  of  the  missions,  real  and  personal,  and 
divide  it  among  those  who  would  use  their  wealth  and  influence 
for  the  defense  and  development  of  IMexico.  The  attempt  of 
Govei-nor  Figueroa  to  put  it  into  effect  in  1838  was  a  failure, 
but  it  was  gradually  executed,  being  extended  little  by  little 
until  the  day  when  Mexico  lost  the  country  to  the  United  States. 

With  the  adoption  of  the  policy  of  secularization,  the  Mission 
Fathei-s  knew  that  their  long  day  was  passing  into  twilight  and 
that  it  could  be.  a  question  of  but  a  few  years  when  they  must 
relin<|uish  their  hold  upon  California.  Some  of  them  were 
utterly  discouraged  and  unwilling  to  aliempt  the  continuance 
of  their  woi'k.  Some  were  frankly  hostile  to  the  new  rulers  aiul 
went  home  to  Spain.  A  few  persisted  to  the  last  and  died 
peacefully  at  their  posts.  The  effect  of  the  new  order  of  things 
on  the  Indians  was  demoralizing.  Their  loyjilty  could  hardly  be 
expected  to  survive  the  shattering  of  priestly  power.  The  only 
government  they  understood  was  the  pati'iarchal  form,  and  the 
very  foundation  of  this  government  had  now  disappeared.  Nev- 
ertheless, the  ]\Iission  of  San  Diego  lived  on  for  more  than  a 
dozen  years,  after  its  ultimate  downfall  was  clearly  foreshad- 
owed. It  was  not  until  1846  that  the  ownei'ship  of  the  property 
was  legally  and  finallv  taken  from  the  Chuj'ch. 

The  full  force  of  the  blow  could  no  longer  be  stayed.  ]\Iexico 
was  threatened  with  invasion  by  the  United  States  and  it  became 
imperativelv  necessary  that  the  country  should  be  put  in  the 
best  possible  condition  of  defense.  Thus  the  governors  of  the 
various  states  and  departments  were  vested  with  extraordinary 
powers  and  instructed  to  adopt  drastic  measures  to  strengthen 
the  goverinnent.  Governor  Pio  Pico  sf)ld  tlie  missions  as  rapidly 
as  i)ossil)le  in  order  1o  raise  money  for  Ihe  war  which  imjx'iided. 
In  June,  1846,  he  sold  to  Don  Santiago  Argiiello  so  much  of  the 


PASSING   OF   MISSIONS  73 

property-   of   tlie   tSan   Diego   .Mission   as   had   not   aJ  ready    Ijcoil 
granted  to  Mexican  citizens.     The  deed  of  sale  read  as  follows: 

Being  previously  jiiitliorized  by  the  Departmental  Assembly 
to  alleviate  the  missions,  in  order  to  pay  their  debts  and  to  avoid 
their  total  ruin;  and  knowing  that  Don  Santiago  Argiiello  has 
rendered  the  government  important  services  at  all  times,  and 
has  also  given  aid  when  asked,  for  the  preservation  of  the  legit- 
imate government  and  the  sefiirity  of  the  De])artment,  witiiont 
having  received  any  indemnification;  and,  whereas,  this  gentle- 
man has,  for  his  own  personal  benefit  and  that  of  his  numerous 
family,  asked  to  purchase  the  mission  of  Ban  Diego,  with  all 
its  lands  and  property  belonging  to  it,  both  in  town  and  coun- 
try, he  paying  fully  and  religiously  the  debts  of  said  Mission, 
which  may  be  established  by  the  reports  of  the  Committee  of 
Missions,  binding  himself  besides  to  provide  for  the  support  of 
the  priests  located  at  said  Mission,  and  of  divine  worship.  In 
view  of  all  w'hich  I  have  made  real  sale  and  perpetual  alien- 
ation of  it  forever,  to  Don  Santiago  Argiiello,  according  to,  and 
in  conformance  with,  what  has  been  agreed  upon,  with  all  the 
appurtenances  found  and  known  at  the  time  as  belonging  to  it, 
whether  consisting  of  lands,  buihlings,  improxed  real  estate, 
or  cattle. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  note  the  pions  tenns  in  which  the 
instrument  was  drawn.  The  object  of  the  transfer  Avas  "to 
alleviate"  the  Mission,  and  to  avoid  its  "total  ruin."  The  pur- 
chaser was  required  to  provide  for  the  support  of  the  priests 
and  to  maintain  divine  worship.  These  diplomatic  phrases 
deceived  no  one,  and  least  of  all  the  priests.  The  idea  of  a 
proprietary  mission  dependent  for  its  sui)port  upon  the  bounty 
of  an  individual,  must  have  been  repugnant  to  their  souls. 
Certainly,  such  an  arrangement  could  never  have  proven  work- 
able, but  it  was  not  put  to  the  actual  test.  The  war  came  on 
with  swift  footsteps,  and  when  it  had  passed,  Mexico  had  gone 
the  way  of  Spain  and  the  Missionary  Fathers  had  gone  with 
them,  so  far  as  the  dominion  of  California  was  concerned. 

What  was  the  net  result  of  Spanish  dominion  in  San  Diego 
which  nominally  began  with  the  discoveries  by  Cabrillo  in  1542 
and  Viscaino  in  1602,  and  ripened  into  actual  occupation  with 
the  expedition  plamied  by  Galvez  and  .executed  by  naval,  mil- 
itary, civil,  and  missionary  leaders  in  1769? 

They  left,  of  course,  a  great  memory  which  will  endure  to 
the  end  of  time  and  which  is  likely  to  grow  rather  than  di- 
minish in  the  quality  of  picturesque  and  romantic  interest. 
They  left  their  nomenclature,  and  this  is  somehow  so  pleasing 
to  the  ear  and  eye  of  the  comiwsite  race  whieli  has  evolvcnl  into 
the  American  population  of  today  that  it  seems  likely  to  last 
as  the  visible  expression  of  the  Spanish  tradition.  Not  only 
does  it  remain  in  the  name  of  the  city  and  of  landmarks  to 
which  it  was  given  by  the  Spanish  explorers  and  founders,  but 


74 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


.it  bluuiiis  ptTcuiiially  in  iiiaii\  uther  forms,  including  the  names 
of  new  residences  and  estates,  for  which  it  is  frequently  pre- 
ferred to  names  associated  with  the  racial,  national,  and  fam- 
ily traditions  of  their  owners.  Nothing  (-(mid  more  strikingly 
illustrate  the  power  of  the  memories  of  Si)anish  occu[)ati()n 
upon  the  popular  imagination.  The  same  intluence  is  apparent 
in  architecture,  and  this  seems  to  be  growing  and  likely  to 
grow  more  in  the  future  The  Spanish  speech  still  lingers  and 
may  do  so  for  a  long  time,  though  it  tends  to  disappear  and 
will  some  day  be  no  more  in  evidence  than  the  speech  of  other 
European  peoples  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  earl}'  time. 


»«*# 


:..i^O-fv 


PC"-.- 


,  -v-  '-■■.  ••• 


RUIN    OF   SAN    DIEGO   MISSION 


Aside  from  this  vii'ile  tradition,  expressed  in  the  nomen- 
clature and  architecture  of  the  city  and  its  surrounding  coun- 
ti'y,  the  Spaniard  left  notliing  pertaining  to  his  natioiud  life. 
Jirit  the  value  of  this  contribution  to  civilization  should  not  be 
underestimated.  Ilappy  is  the  land  which  has  memories  to 
cherish !  Twice  happy  when  the  memories  are  associated  with 
the  pioneers  of  pioneers !  And  thrice  happy  if,  as  in  this  case, 
those  memories  chance  to  be  sanctified  by  the  struggle  to  light 
the  lamp  of  spiritual  exaltation  in  the  darkness  of  ignorance 
and  savagci'y!  As  time  goes  on,  the  earliest  history  of  San 
Diego  will  be  revived  in  art.  More  and  more,  it  will  supply  a 
rich  theme  for  painting,  for  sculptnre,  and  for  literature.  But 
the  institutions  which  it  sought  to  i)lant  deei)  in  the  soil  have 


THE  NET  RESULT  75 

perished  almost  utterly.  English  hivv  and  English  speech  have 
taken  the  place  of  Spanish  law  and  speech,  and  even  the  re- 
ligion wliich  tlie  fonnders  brought  ;ipi);ir(Mitly  owes  litth'  or 
nothing  of  its  present  strength  to  tlieir  teaching  or  their  build- 
ing. The  Catholic  Church  is  powerful,  of  course,  but  by  no 
means  as  powerful  in  San  Diego,  whose  legitimate  child  it  was, 
as  in  Boston,  wliich  was  established  bv  those  who  deliberatelv 
tied  from  its  influence. 

What  shall  be  said  of  the  missionary  achievement?  For  the 
most  part,  the  answer  to  this  question  depends  upon  the  indi- 
vidual point  of  view.  No  mere  material  coiKpiest  is  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls.  The  Mission 
Fathers  lu'ought  thousands  to  the  foot  of  the  Cross  and  persua- 
ded them  to  live  in  accordance  with  religious  ways.  Those 
who  believe  that  these  thousands  of  souls  would  otherwise  have 
been  lost  .iustly  place  the  missionary  achievement  above  the 
most  enduring  things  done  by  the  soldier,  the  law-giver,  or  the 
founder  of  institutions.  Those  who  accept  distinctly  modern 
views  of  religion  may  hold  more  lightly  the  purely  spiritual 
conquest  accomplished  by  Junipero  Serra  and  his  fellow  priests, 
yet  even  such  must  credit  them  with  the  noblest  aspirations  and 
must  concede  that  the  Indian  population  gained  much  in  sim- 
ple morality  from  the  missionary  teachings.  Nor  has  this  gain 
been  wholly  lost,  even  after  Father  Serra  has  slept  for  more 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  in  his  grave  at  INIonterey. 
The  Indian  was  unquestionably  elevated  by  his  spiritual  ex- 
perience and  by  his  manual  training,  and,  dubious  as  his  con- 
dition seems  today,  is  still  a  better  num  because  the  Mission 
once  flourished  under  the  sunny  skies  of  San  Diego. 

The  literature  of  the  missions  is  voluminous  and  constantl\' 
increasing.  For  reasons  already  stated,  it  is  somewhat  remote 
from  the  real  history  of  San  Diego.  It  is  not  the  ])icture  itself, 
but  the  shadowy  1)ackground  of  the  ])icture.  Nothing  more 
finely  expressive  of  the  appeal  which  it  makes  to  the  poetic  senses 
has  been  written  than  the  following  extract  from  a  sketeh  of 
the  iMission  of  San  Luis  Key,  by  Will  II.  Holcomb : 

To  behold  this  beautiful  structure  for  the  first  time  under 
the  softening  effect  of  moonlight  requires  no  great  stretch  of  the 
imagination,  to  believe  one's  self  among  the  romantic  surround- 
ings of  some  Alcazar  in  old  Spain.  Below,  among  the  jiurple 
shadow?  of  the  valley,  which  half  conceal  and  yet  reveal,  lies 
the  river,  a  counterpart  of  the  Guadalquiver;  ranged  about  arc 
the  hills,  dreamy,  indistinct,  under  the  mystic  canopy  of  niglit, 
while  nearer  at  hand  are  the  delicate  outlines  of  arches,  fa- 
cades, and  vaulted  roofs,  reflecting  the  ])early  light,  and  appear- 
ing half  real,  half  visionary,  against  the  ambient  breadths  of 
starless  sky.  The  land  breeze  wafts  down  the  valley  from  the 
mountain  heights,  cool  and  sweet,  and  whispers  among  the  col- 
umns and  arches,  and  we  are  tenqited  almost  to  inquire  of  these 


76  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

voices  of  the  uight  something  of  the  tales  of  adventure,  of 
love,  of  ambitions  gratified  and  hopes  unfulfilled,  which  eling 
to  tlais  sacred  spot,  from  the  shadowy  period  of  the  jjast. 

PRIESTS   OF   SAN   DIEGO   MISSION 

17t)9.  July  16.  Mission  founded  by  Father  President  Junipero  Serra. 
Also   present:      Fathers   Hernando   Parron   and   Juan   Viseaino. 

177U.  Fathers  Juan  Crespi  and  Francisco  Gomez  had  been  at  San  Diego 
but  departed  wath  tlie  land  expedition  for  Monterej'  on  July  14th. 
They  returned  January  24,  1770,  and  all  five  priests  were  pres- 
ent until  February  11th,  when  Viseaino  went  south  by  land  to 
Velicata  with  Rivera.  On  April  17th,  Serra  and  Crespi  sailed  for 
Monterey  with  Portola  (left  at  San  Diego,  Parron  and  Gomez,  the 
former  in  charge). 

1771.  April.  The  San  Antonio  came  up  from  Mexico  with  ten  friars 
and  left  some  of  them  at  San  Diego,  among  them  Pedro  Benito 
Cambon,  Francisco  Dumetz,  and  Father  Somera.  Same  ship  took 
Gomez  to  Monterey.  Dumetz  was  in  charge.  In  July,  the  San 
Antonio  arrived  with  six  friars  from  the  north,  and  Cambon  and 
Dumetz  went   overland  to   Mexico. 

1772.  May.  Crespi  came  from  the  north  and  Dumetz  returned  witli 
Father  Tomas  de  la  Pena  to  take  Cambon 's  place.  Sept.  27th, 
Crespi  and  Dumetz  left  for  San  Carlos  and  two  friars,  Usson  and 

Figuer,  came  from   Mexico. 

1773.  August  30.  Father  Francisco  Palou  arrived  overland  from  Mex- 
ico, with  Fathers  Pedro  Benito  Cambon,  Gregorio  Amurrio,  Fer- 
min  Francisco  Lasuen,  .Fuan  Prestamero,  Vicente  Fuster,  Jose 
Antonio  Murguia,  and  ^liguel  de  la  Campa  y  Cos,  assigned  to 
different    missions. 

September   5.     Paterna,   Lasuen   ;ind   Prestamero    (lei)arted. 
October    26.      Palou,    Murguia,    and    de    la   Peiia    departed. 
TJiis  left  at  San   Diego  Luis  Jaume,  Vicente  Fuster,  and  Gregorio 
Amurrio  as  sui)ernumcrary. 

1774.  March  3.  Serra  came  by  sea  from  Mexico.  With  him  came 
Father  Pablo  Mugartegui,  who  remained  for  a  time,  but  later 
went  north. 

April   6.     Father   Serra    departed   for   Monterey,   by   land. 

1775.  November  5.  Destruction  of  the  Mission,  Fathers  Luis  Jaume 
and  Vicente  Fuster  in  charge;  the  former  killed,  as  related.  At 
the  Presidio,  Fathers  Lasuen  and  Amurrio. 

1776.  ,luly  11.  Serra  arrived  by  sea  from  Monterey  to  arrange  for  re- 
building the  mission. 

October  17.  Three  friars,  Fuster,  Lasuen,  and  probably  Santa 
Maria,  occupied  the   new  mission. 

December.  Serra  departed  the  last  days  of  the  year,  for  the 
north,  with  Amurrio,  and  never  returned. 

1777.  Juan  Figuer  came  and  served  to  December  IS,  1784,  when  he  died 
and  was  buried  in  the  clmrch. 

17S.J.  For  about  a  year  after  Figuer 's  death,  Lasuen  served  alone.  In 
November,  1785,  he  went  to  San  Carlos  and  his  place  at  San  Die- 
go was  taken  by  Juan  Mariner  (arrived  1785).  With  him  was 
associated  Juan  Aiitouio  Garcia  Riboo  (arrived  1783),  till  Octo- 
ber, 1786,  then  llilario  Torrens  (arrived  1786).  Mariner  and  Tor- 
rens  served  till  tlic  last  years  of  tiie  century.  Torrens  left  Cal- 
ifornia at  the  end  of  1708.  niid  dicil  in  1799;  Mariner  died  at  the 
Mission,  .January  29,   1800. 


LIST   OF  PRIESTS  77 

1800.  Tin  ir  successors  were  Jose  Panella  (arrived  June,  1797),  and  Jose 
Barona  (arrived  May,  1798).  Pedro  de  San  Jose  Estevan  was 
supernumerary,  April,  1796,  to  July,  1797.  Panclla  was  accused 
of  cruelty  to  the  neophytes  and  was  reprimanded  by  I'residcnt 
Lasuen.  He  left  the  country  in  LSOH.  Baruiin  remained  as 
minister  throughout  the  decade  (1800-1810).  Panella  was  replaced 
for  about  a  year  after  1803  by  Mariano  Payeras,  and  then  Jose 
Bernardo  Sanchez  took  the  place  in  1804.  Pedro  de  la  Cueva, 
from  Mission  San  Jose,  was  here  for  a  short  time  in  1806,  and 
Jose   Pedro   Panto  came  in   September,   1810. 

1810.  Father  Sanchez  continued  to  serve  until  the  spring  of  1820,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Vicente  Pascual  Oliva.  Panto  died  in  1812, 
and  Fernando  Martin  took  his  place. 

"Panto,"  says  Bancroft,  "was  a  rigorous  disciplinarian  an<] 
severe  in  his  punishments.  One  evening  in  November,  181  J,  liis 
soup  was  poisoned,  causing  vomiting.  His  cook,  Nazario,  was 
arrested  and  admitted  having  put  the  'yerba, '  powdered 
cucliasquelaai,  in  the  soup  with  a  view  to  escape  the  Father's  in- 
tolerable floggings,  having  received  in  succession  fifty,  twenty- 
five,  twenty-four,  and  twenty-five  lashes  in  the  twenty-four  hours 
preceding  his  attempted  revenge.  There  is  much  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  friar's  death  on  June  30th  of  the  next  year  was 
attributable  to  the  poisoning." 

The  new  Mission  Church  was  dedicated  November  12,  1813 
(this  is  the  building  whose  ruins  yet  remain).  The  blessing  was 
pronounced  by  Jose  Barona,  of  San  Juan.  The  first  sermon  was 
by  Geronimo  Boscaua,  of  San  Ijuis,  the  second  by  the  Dominican 
Tomas  Ahumada,  of  San  Miguel,  and  Lieutenant  Euiz  acted  as 
sponsor. 

1820.    Father  Martinez  served  for  a   time   in   1827. 

1830.    Fathers  Oliva  and  Martin  continued  in  charge.     Martin  died  Oc- 
tober 19,   1838.     He  was  a  native  of  Robledillo,  Spain,  born  May 
26,   1770.     He  was  a  Franciscan,  and  arrived   at  San  Diego  July 
6,     1811.       He    was    regarded    as    an     exemplary    frey.       He    was 
one   of   the   few  missionaries   who   took   the   oath   of   allegiance   to 
Mexico. 

1S40.  Oliva  remained  alone,  and  was  the  last  missionary  to  occupy  the 
mission,  till  August,  1846.  Upon  the  secularization  of  the  mis- 
sions in  183.5,  Jose  Joaquin  Ortega  was  placed  in  charge  as  major- 
domo  or  administrator,  and  1840  he  was  replaced  by  Juan  M. 
Osuna.  Others  served  at  different  times.  Some  Indians  lingered 
at  the  place,  and  in  1848  Philip  Crnsthwaite  leased  the  Mission. 
Oliva  went  first  to  San  Luis  Rey,  then  to  San  Juan  Capistrano, 
where  he  died  in  January,  1848. 


PART  SECOND 

When  Old  Town  was  San  Diego 


CHAPTER  I. 


LIFE  ON  PRESIDIO   HILL  UNDER  THE   SPANISH   FLAG. 

;0R  MORE  than  a  hundred  years  Old  Town 
was  San  Diego.  It  began  with  the  founding 
of  the  fort  and  mission  iti  July,  1769;  it 
ended,  as  a  place  of  real  consequence,  with 
the  fire  of  April,  1872,  which  destroyed  most 
of  the  business  part  of  the  town  and  turned 
the  scale  decisively  in  favor  of  the  new  set- 
tlement which  had  sprung  up  at  Horton's 
Addition,  or  South  San  Diego,  as  it  was  then  called.  It  is  rare 
that  two  historical  eras  are  so  clearly  marked  on  the  face  of 
the  earth  as  in  this  case.  The  site  of  Old  San  Diego  is  a  thing 
apart  from  the  location  of  the  present  city,  just  as  the  life  of 
the  older  time  is  separated  from  that  of  the  present  by  a  space 
of  years.  And  yet,  it  was  in  the  soil  of  Old  San  Diego  that 
the  seed  of  the  present  city  was  planted  and  took  root,  and 
it  was  in  that  mother  settlement  that  civilization  began  on 
the  Pacific  Coast  of  the  TTnited  States. 

From  1769  to  about  1830 — a  period  of  over  sixty  years — 
San  Diego  lived  within  the  adobe  walls  of  its  garrison  on 
Presidio  Hill  and  became  a  famous  dot  on  the  map  of  the 
world.  Nothing  now  remains  on  Presidio  Hill  to  show  the 
casual  observer  that  it  was  ever  anything  but  a  vacant  plot 
of  ground.  Weeds  cover  the  earth,  wild  flowers  bloom  in  their 
season,  and  always  the  ice-plant  hangs  in  matted  festoons  from 
the  scattered  mounds  of  earth.  A  closer  examination  of  these 
mounds,  however,  shows  them  to  be  arranged  in  something 
like  a  hollow  square.  The  soil,  too,  is  found  to  be  full  of  frag- 
ments of  red  tile  and  to  show  the  unmistakabh^  signs  of  long 
trampling  by  human  feet.  Looking  more  closely  at  the 
mounds,  beneath  their  covering  of  weeds  and  earth,  one  finds 
the  foundations  of  old  walls  built  of  thin  red  tile  and  adobe 
bricks.  These  remains  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  Spanish  Pre- 
sidio of  San  Diego. 

Standing  on  this  historic  spot,  one  is  moved  to  wonder  how 
the  manifold  activities  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  military  affairs 
of  the  Southern  District,  and  of  the  political  and  social  cen- 
ter of  one  of  the  four  important  towns  in  Upper  California, 
were  ever  cam-ied  on  for  so  many  years  u]ioii  this  little  space. 


82  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  commaiiclaiit 's  residence  was  the  i)riiicii)al  l)uildiii<;'.  It 
was  situated  in  the  center  of  the  presidial  enclosure  and  over- 
looked the  garrison,  the  Indian  village,  the  bay  and  surround- 
ing country.  On  the  east  side  of  the  square  were  the  chapel, 
cemetery,  and  storehouses ;  the  guard-house  was  near  the 
gate  on  the  south,  and  the  officers'  quarters  were  ranged 
around  the  sides  of  the  square.  The  whole  was  enclosed,  at 
first  with  a  wooden  stockade,  and  later  with  a  high  adobe  wall. 

It  would  seem  that  half  a  century  of  life  should  mean 
a  great  deal  to  any  eonununity,  even  to  a  frontier  outpost  on 
the  edge  of  the  workl ;  but  to  San  Diego,  in  tlie  period  with 
which  this  chapter  deals,  it  meant  very  little.  Of  the  mission 
activities  the  men  and  women  at  the  Presidio  were  mere  spec- 
tators, while  only  far  echoes  of  events  in  the  outside  world 
came  to  their  ears.  They  had  enough  respect  for  the  Indians 
to  keep  well  within  the  shelter  of  the  garrison  for  all  those 
years.  Even  A\hen  they  went  down  into  the  valley  to  culti- 
vate a  little  patch  of  soil,  they  took  care  to  keep  well  within 
range  of  the  guns.  They  led  a  lazy,  dreamy  life,  not  without 
som.e  social  diversions,  yet  mostly  spent  in  attending  to  mil- 
itary and  religious  routine.  As  the  years  wore  on  and  the 
nineteenth  century  dawned,  the  visits  of  foreign  ships  became 
more  frequent.  These  visits  must  have  seemed  very  grateful 
to  the  inhabitants,  especially  those  few  which  were  attended 
with  sufficient  excitement  to  break  the  monotony  and  lend  a 
momentary  zest  to  the  stagnant  life  of  the  community. 

The  Spanish  soldiers  were  usually  men  of  good  character. 
Among  them  were  many  cadets  and  young  men  of  good  fam- 
ilies who  had  adopted  a  military  career,  whose  birth  and  edu- 
cation entitled  them  to  certain  exemptions  and  privileges,  and 
who  afterward  became  distinguished  in  civil  life.  Officers 
could  not  marry  without  the  king's  consent,  and  to  sc^cure 
this,  those  beneath  the  rank  of  captain  had  to  show  that  they 
had  an  income  outside  their  pay.  The  chief  officer  was  the 
commandant.  Discipline  was  severe.  The  old  Spanish  Arti- 
cles of  War  prescribed  the  death  penalty  for  so  many  trivial 
oi¥ences  that,  as  another  writer  has  remarked,  it  was  really 
astonishing  that  any  soldier  could  escape  execution.  There  is 
no  record  of  any  military  executions  at  San  Diego,  however, 
except  of  Indians. 

The  principal  duties  of  the  soldiers  were  to  garrison  the  forts, 
to  stand  guard  at  the  missions,  to  care  for  the  horses  and  cat- 
tle, and  to  carry  dispatches.  Both  officers  and  men  had  usually 
a  little  time  at  their  disposal,  which  they  were  allowed  to 
employ  in  providing  for  their  families.  Some  were  shoemakers, 
others,  tailors  or  woodcutters;  but  after  the  first  few  years 
most  of  them  seem  to  have  given  their  leisure  hours  to  agri- 


PLAN  OF  PRESIDIO  HILL 


83 


culture.  The  pay  was  small  and  subject  to  many  vexatious 
deductions.  Supplies  were  brought  by  ship  from  ^lexico  and 
the  cost  was  deducted  from  tlie  uien's  pay. 


IZ 

> 

< 

r 
r 

> 

D 

m 


^.iiii»- 


ROUGH  PLAN  OF  PRESIDIO  HILL  (Drawn  from  descriptions) 


The  military  establishment  on  Presidio  Hill  was  always  the 
weakest  in  the  department.  The  rude  earthworks  thrown  up 
in  July.  1769.  grew  Init  slowly.  In  August  there  seem  to  have 
been  but  four  soldiers  able  to  assist  in  repelling  the  fii*st  Indian 
attack.     But  when  Perez  returned,  in  the  following  March,  good 


84  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

use  was  made  of  the  time.  The  temporary  stockade  was  com- 
pleted and  two  bronze  cannon  mounted,  one  pointing  toward 
the  harbor,  the  other  toward  the  Indian  village.  Houses  of 
wood,  rushes,  tule,  and  adobe  were  constructed.  Three  years 
later  four  thousand  adobe  bricks  had  been  made  and  some 
stones  collected  for  use  in  foundations.  A  foundation  had  also 
been  laid  for  a  church  ninety  feet  long,  but  work  upon  this 
building  had  been  suspended  because  of  delay  in  the  arrival 
of  the  supply  ship. 

AVhen  the  mission  establishment  was  removed  up  the  river, 
all  buildings  at  the  Presidio,  except  two  rooms  reserved  for 
the  use  of  visiting  friai-s  and  for  the  storage  of  mission  sup- 
plies, were  given  up  to  the  military.  In  September  of  this 
year  there  was  some  trouble  with  troops  which  had  been  sent 
up  from  Sinaloa.  The  following  year,  at  the  time  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  mission,  related  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  force  at 
the  Presidio  consisted  of  a  corporal  and  ten  men.  In  the  panic 
caused  by  this  tragedy,  all  the  stores  and  families  at  the  Presidio 
were  hastily  removed  to  the  old  friars'  house,  the  roof  of  that 
building  was  covered  with  earth  to  prevent  its  being  set  on  fire, 
and  the  time  of  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  reinforcements  was 
spent  in  fear  and  trembling. 

The  work  of  collecting  stones  to  be  used  in  laying  the  foun- 
dations for  the  new  adobe  wall  to  replace  the  wooden  stock- 
ade was  begun  in  1778  and  the  construction  of  the  wall  soon 
followed.  The  population  of  the  Presidio  was  then  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five.  Small  parties  of  soldiers  arrived 
and  departed,  and  some  efifort  was  expended  in  attempts  to 
find  improved  routes  of  travel  through  the  country.  In  1782, 
the  old  church  within  the  presidial  enclosure  was  burned.  Two 
years  later,  the  regulations  required  the  presidial  force  to  con- 
sist of  five  corporals  and  forty-six  soldiers,  six  men  being  always 
on  guard  at  the  ^Mission. 

The  visit  of  the  famous  English  navigator,  George  Vancou- 
ver, in  the  Discovery  in  1793,  was  the  most  important  event 
breaking  the  monotony  of  these  early  years.  His  was  the  first 
foreign  vessel  that  ever  entered  San  Diego  harbor.  He  arrived 
on  the  27th  day  of  November  and  remained  twelve  days.  His 
presence  disturbed  and  alarmed  the  Spanish  officials,  w^ho  did 
not  relish  the  sight  of  the  British  flag  in  Californian  waters. 
The  San  Diego  commandant,  however,  treated  him  with  cour- 
tesy and  relaxed  the  rigid  port  regulations  in  his  favor,  so 
far  as  lay  within  his  poAver.  Vancouver  gave  Father  Lasuen, 
of  the  San  Juan  Capistrano  Mission,  a  barrel-organ  for  his 
church,  made  some  nautical  observations,  a.nd  corrected  his 
charts.     But  the  most  valuable   results  of  his  visit,  so   far  as 


WEAKNESS  OF  THE  PRESIDIO  85 

this  history  is  concerned,  are  his  shrewd  observations  upon  the 
Presidio  of  San  Uiego  and  the  whole  Spanish  military  estab- 
lishment in  Upper  California.  He  says  the  soldiers  "are 
totally  incapable  of  making  any  resistance  against  a  foreign 
invasion,  an  event  which  is  by  no  means  improbable."  The 
Spanish  officials  knew  this;  the  relations  between  England  and 
Spain,  too,  were  strained  and  war  broke  out  not  long  after. 
It  is  no  wonder  that  Vancouver  was  regarded  willi  dread  and 
suspicion.    He  goes  on  : 


The  Spanish  Monarchy  retains  this  extent  of  country 
under  its  authority  by  a  force  that,  had  we  not  been  eye- 
witnesses of  its  insignificance  in  many  instances,  we  should 
hardly  have  given  credit  to  the  possibility  of  so  small  a  body 
of  men  keeping  in  awe  and  under  subjection  the  natives  of 
this  country,  without  resorting  to  harsh  or  unjustifiable 
measures. 

And  again: 

The  Presidio  of  San  Diego  seemed  to  be  the  least  of  the 
Spanish  establishments.  It  is  irregularly  built,  on  very  un- 
even groi;nd,  which  makes  it  liable  to  some  inconveniences, 
without  the  obvious  appearance  of  any  object  for  selecting 
such  a  spot.  With  little  difficulty  it  might  be  rendered  a 
place  of  considerable  strength,  by  establishing  a  small  force 
at  the  entrance  of  the  port;  where  at  this  time  there  were 
neither  works,  guns,  houses,  or  other  habitations  nearer  than 
the  Presidio,  five  miles  from  the  port,  and  where  they  have 
only  three  small   pieces  of  brass  cannon. 

The  "three  small  pieces  of  brass  cannon"  at  the  Presidio 
Avere  somewhat  like  the  toy  cannon  now  used  on  yachts  for 
firing  salutes.  One  of  the  original  San  Diego  Presidio  cannon 
is  now  in  the  Coronel  collection  at  Los  Angeles,  and  a  cut  of 
it  appears  herein.  These  cannon  were  far  less  effective 
than  a  modern  ritie,  Imt,  mounted  in  the  bastions  of  the  old 
Presidio,  they  served  their  purpose  of  making  a  loud  noise  and 
awing  the  Indians,  who  called  them  "creators  of  thunder." 

Vancouver's  visit,  with  its  annoying  revelation  of  the  weak 
state  of  the  country's  defenses,  led  to  the  strengthening  of 
the  military  arm.  In  the  same  year,  upon  the  Governor's 
urgent  request,  the  Viceroy  ordered  the  Presidio  to  be  repaired. 
A  fort  was  also  projected  on  what  is  now  known  as  Ballast 
Point,  then  called  Point  Guijarros  (cobblestones),  the  same 
spot  which  Vancouver's  quick  eye  had  noted  as  the  strategic 
defensive  point.  Plans  were  drawn  in  1795  for  installing  tliere 
a  battery  of  ten  guns,  but  the  work  proceeded  slowly  and  was 
not  completed  for  five  years  or  more. 


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THE  FIRST  AMERICANS  87 

111  Xovciiiber,  17J)(),  the  [)iMests  wci'c  called  upon  to  pert'onu 
the  eerciiiouy  of  blessing  the  esplanade,  powder  ma<iazine,  and 
flag  at  the  Presidio,  and  a  salute  was  fired  in  honor  of  the 
event.  There  were  neither  flags,  nor  materials  for  making 
them,  in  Tj^per  California,  and  tiiey  were  therefore  sent  from 
Mexico  This  marks  the  hegitniing  of  the  fortifications  pi'oper 
on  Presidio  Hill,  on  the  point  of  the  hill  below  the  Presidio 
walls.  This  fort  was  maintained,  in  a  small  way.  during  the 
Spanish  administration,  and  to  a  certain  extent  afterward. 
Nothing  whatever  of  the  site  now  remains,  the  earth  forming 
the  point  of  the  hill  having  been  hauled  away  and  used  by 
the  government  engineers  in  making  the  embankment  for  turn- 
ing the  San  Diego  River,  in  1877.  Some  of  this  earth  was  also 
used  for  grading  the  county  road  across  the  valley  from  then  end 
of  the  Old  Town  bridge,  in  later  years.  These  excavations  also 
took  large  quantities  of  earth  from  the  north  side  of  the  hill,  the 
extent  lieing  measured  by  the  widening  of  the  road  from  a 
narrow  track  to  its  present  width.  During  the  year  in  wliich 
the  fort  on  the  hill  was  built,  twenty-five  soldiers  and  six  artil- 
lerymen Avere  added  to  the  garrison,  making  the  total  force 
nearly  ninety  men. 

The  end  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  now  close  at  hand 
and  it  l)rought  a  few  events  of  unusnal  interest  to  the  quiet 
community.  In  1798  the  soil  of  San  Diego  was  first  trod- 
den by  Americans.  Four  sailors  had  been  left  by  an  American 
ship  in  Lower  California,  whether  by  accident  or  design  is 
nnknown.  They  tramped  to  San  Diego  and  applied  at  the  Pre- 
sidio for  food  and  shelter,  as  well  as  for  a  chance  to  take  the 
first  opportunity  to  sail  in  the  direction  of  home.  They  were 
not  very  hospitably  welcomed  by  the  Spaniards,  who  regarded 
them  with  some  suspicion.  Imt  there  was  nothing  to  do  except 
to  care  for  them  until  a  shi|)  sailed  for  ]\Iexico.  In  the  mean- 
time, they  were  given  a  chance  to  earn  their  bed  and  board  by 
working  on  the  fortifications.  Later,  thev  were  sent  to  San 
Bias.  The  Americans  bore  the  names  of  William  Katt.  Barnaby 
Jan.  and  John  Stephens,  and  were  natives  of  Boston.  Thev 
were  accompanied  bv  Gabriel  Boisse.  a  Frenchman,  who  had 
been  left  behind,  like  themselves,  from  the  American  ship 
Galhod, — a  treatment  hardly  in  ki^cninu'  witli  th<'  n;im<\ 

The  next  year  the  English  sloop-of  war  Mercedes  ]>aid  a  brief 
Tisit  to  San  Diego,  but  sailed  away  without  any  hostile  demon- 
stration. The  last  year  of  the  old  century  found  the  Presidio 
with  a  population  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  souls,  mostly 
soldiers  and  their  families,  according  to  official  report  made 
to  the  Viceroy.  During  that  year  a  number  of  foundling  chil- 
dren were  sent  from  Lower  California,  and  eight  of  them 
■were  assigned  to  San  Diego.     As  one  of  them   inelegantlv  re- 


88  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

marked,  long  afterward,  they  were  distributed  "lii^e  puppies 
among  the  families."  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose,  how- 
ever,  that  they  were  not  well  cared  for. 

With  the  year  1800  the  Yankee  trader  began  to  cast  his 
shadow  before  him.  It  was  the  palmy  day  of  Boston's  cap- 
tains of  connneree,  when  they  used  to  load  their  ships  with 
the  products  of  New  England  ingenuity  and  send  them  forth 
upon  the  seas  bound  for  nowhere  in  particular,  but  looking  for 
good  bargains  in  exchange  for  their  cargoes.  About  all  that 
California  had  to  offer  at  that  time  was  the  trade  in  furs, 
chiefly  those  of  the  sea  otter  which,  as  we  have  seen  in  previ- 
ous pages,  was  a  considerable  source  of  profit  to  the  Mission 
Fathers.  These  skins  were  in  great  demand  and  the  govern- 
ment tried  in  vain  to  monopolize  the  business.  The  command- 
ants at  all  the  ports  did  what  they  could  to  prevent  foreign 
ships  from  getting  any  of  the  furs,  but  the  Yankee  skippers 
were  enterprising  and  found  many  a  weak  spot  in  the  Span- 
ish lines. 

The  first  American  ship  to  enter  San  Diego  Bay  bore  the 
good  old  English  name  of  Betsy.  She  arrived  on  the  25th  of 
August,  1800,  in  command  of  Captain  Charles  AVinship.  She 
carried  nineteen  men  and  ten  guns,  remained  ten  days,  secured 
wood  and  water,  and  then  departed  for  San  Bias.  In  June, 
1801,  Captain  Ezekiel  Hubbell  came  in  the  Enierprise,  of  New 
York.  Avith  ten  guns  and  twenty-one  men.  All  he  asked  was 
wood  and  water,  with  which  he  set  sail  after  a  stay  of  a  few 
days.  If  either  of  these  earliest  American  captains  succeeded 
in  doing  any  illicit  trade  at  San  Diego,  they  kept  the  secret 
successfully,  leaving  not  so  much  as  a  rumor  of  scandal  behind 
them.    Such  was  not  the  ease  with  those  who  came  shortly  after. 

Captain  John  Brown  arrived  on  February  26.  1803,  in  the 
Alexander,  of  Boston.  He  was  bent  on  getting  otter  skins, 
though  he  failed  to  mention  the  fact  to  the  Spanish  command- 
ant. On  the  contrary,  he  told  a  touching  tale  of  sailors  down 
with  the  scurvy,  on  the  strength  of  which  he  was  permitted  to 
land,  though  required  to  keep  away  from  the  fort.  He  was 
supplied  with  fresh  provisions  and,  in  view  of  the  condition 
of  his  crew,  granted  permission  to  stay  eight  days.  In  the 
meantime,  the  wily  captain  was  buying  all  the  skins  offered 
by  Indians  and  soldiers.  On  the  fifth  evening  of  his  stay,  the 
commandant  sent  a  party  on  board  the  Alexander  to  search 
for  contraband.  The  search  Avas  rewarded,  491  skins  coming 
to  light.  The  Yankee  was  invited  to  leave  San  Diego  without 
ceremony :  also  without  the  otter  skins.  There  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  comph',  unless  it  Avas  also  to  crumble,  which  the  cap- 
tain did.  He  complained  that  his  ship  had  been  visited  by 
a  rabble  before  anv  demand  was  made  for  the  surrender  of 


AFFAIR  OF  THE  LELIA  BYRD  89 

the  furs.  He  also  complained  that  the  soldiei^s  relieved  him 
of  other  goods  to  which  they  had  no  rightful  claim.  The  evi- 
dence seems  clear,  however,  that  Captain  John  Brown,  of 
Boston,  abused  the  Spanish  hospitality  by  perpetrating  the  first 
Yankee  trick  in  the  history  of  San  Diego. 

The  Lelia  Byrd  dropped  anchor  in  the  Bay  on  March  ITtli, 
having  sailed  by  the  fort  on  Ballast  Point  without  arousing 
any  protest.  But  promptly  the  next  day  the  commandant  of 
the  Presidio  appeared  on  board  with  an  escort  of  twelve  sol- 
diers. He  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  Captain,  William 
Shaler,  and  with  Richard  J.  Cleveland,  mate  and  part-owner 
of  the  ship,  a  character  who  gains  much  additional  interest 
from  the  fact  that  he  w^as  a  relative  of  Daniel  Cleveland,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  San  Diego.  Captain  Cleveland  left  a 
good  account  of  the  exciting  events  precipitated  by  the  pres- 
ence of  his  ship.  Anion  a-  other  things,  he  described  the  com- 
mandant as  an  offensively  vain  and  pompous  man,  but  it  is 
possible  that  the  captain's  unsatisfied,  desire  for  otter  skins 
may  have  prejudiced  his  opinion  in  the  matter.  The  com- 
mandant agreed  to  furnish  needed  supplies,  but  informed  the 
visitors  that  when  these  were  delivered  they  must  promptly 
depart.  They  were  expressly  forbidden  to  attempt  any  trad- 
ing and  five  men  were  left  as  a  guard  to  see  that  this  injunc- 
tion was  enforced.  Three  days  later,  the  commandant  again 
visited  the  ship,  received  his  pay  for  the  supplies,  and  wisherl 
his  visitors  a  prosperous  voyage. 

The  Yankee  crew,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  ashore,  visited 
the  fort  at  Ballast  Point,  and  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
corporal  in  charge  of  the  batterv%  Jose  Velasquez.  Thus  they 
learned  that  the  commandant  had  on  hand  something  like  a 
thousand  confiscated  otter  skins — which  he  would  not  sell.  The 
corporal  hinted,  however,  that  he  might  ])e  able  to  deliver  some 
of  the  forbidden  goods,  obtained  from  other  sources.  Captain 
Cleveland  was  ready  for  the  trade  and  sent  a  boat  ashore  that 
night  for  the  skins.  The  first  trip  was  successful,  but  a  second 
boat  failed  to  return.  When  morning  came,  the  Yankee  cap- 
tain decided  on  vigorous  action.  He  disarmed  the  Spanish 
guards  who  had  been  left  on  his  ship,  sent  them  below,  and 
went  ashore  with  four  armed  men.  Tt  was  found  that  the  crew 
of  the  second  boat,  which  had  failed  to  return  the  previous 
night,  had  been  captured  by  a  party  of  mounted  soldiers,  headed 
by  the  commandant  himself.  They  had  been  bound  hand  and 
foot  and  compelled  to  lie  on  the  shore,  where  they  were  cap- 
tured, all  night  under  guard. 

In  his  account  of  the  affair  Captain  Cleveland  says:  "On 
landing,  we  ran  up  to  the  guard,  and,  presenting  our  pistols, 


90  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

ordered  them  instantly  to  release  our  men  from  their  ligatures. 

This  order  was  readily  complied  with  by  the  three 

soldiers  who  had  been  guarding  them ;  and,  to  prevent  mischief, 
we  took  away  their  arms,  dipped  them  in  water,  and  left  them 
on  the  beach." 

It  Avas  now  necessary  for  the  Americans  to  make  their  escape 
as  quickly  as  jjossible.  The  men  were  full  of  tight,  but  their 
situation  seemed  desperate.  There  were  only  fifteen  men,  all 
told,  ill  the  crew,  and  the  armament  consisted  of  six  three- 
pounders.  Their  inspection  of  Fort  Guijarros  had  shown  that 
it  contained  a  battery  of  six  nine-pounders,  with  an  abundant 
supply  of  powder  and  ball.  The  force  was  probably  sufficient 
to  work  the  guns,  although  Cleveland  is  doubtless  mistaken  in 
thinking  the  ship  opposed  by  at  least  a  hundred  men.  He 
remarks  that  while  the  preparations  for  flight  were  making  on 
board  ship,  all  was  bustle  and  animation  on  shore,  and  that 
both  horse  and  foot  were  flocking  to  the  fort;  and  it  is  a  fair 
inference  that  most  of  this  crowd  were  mere  spectators. 

The  difficulties  in  the  situation  of  the  Americans  were  much 
increased  by  -various  circumstances.  It  took  time  to  hoist  the 
anchor  and  get  up  sail.  There  was  only  a  slight  land  breeze 
blowing,  and  the  Spaniards  were  able  to  fire  two  shots  at  the 
ship,  one  a  blank  shot  and  the  second  a  solid  one,  before  they 
began  to  move.  They  were  under  fire  fully  three-quarters  of 
an  hour  before  arriving  near  enough  to  reach  the  fort  with 
their  small  guns.  In  the  ho])e  of  restraining  the  Spanish  fire, 
the  guard  were  placed  in  the  most  exposed  and  conspicuous 
stations  in  the  ship.  Here  they  stood  and  frantically  pleaded 
with  their  countrymen  to  cease  firing,  but  withcHit  avail.  At 
every  discharge  they  fell  upon  their  faces  and  showed  th(^m- 
selves,  naturally  enough,  in  a  state  of  collapse.  As  soon  as 
they  came  within  range,  the  Americans  discharged  a  broadside 
at  the  fort  from  their  six  small  guns,  and  at  once  saw  numbers 
of  the  garrison  scrambling  out  of  the  back  of  the  fort  and  run- 
ning away  u])  the  liill.  A  second  broadside  was  discharged,  and 
after  that  no  one  could  be  seen  at  the  fort  except  one  man  wlio 
stood  upon  the  ramparts  and  waved  his  hat. 

There  is  no  record  of  any  blood  being  shed  in  this  first  "Bat- 
tle of  San  Diego,"  although  the  ship  was  considerably  damaged. 
Her  rigging  was  struck  several  times  early  in  the  action,  and 
Avhile  abreast  of  the  fort  in  the  narrow  channel  several  balls 
struck  her  hull,  one  of  which  was  "between  wind  and  water." 
Safe  out  of  the  harbor,  the  terrified  guard,  who  expected  noth- 
ing less  than  death,  were  set  on  shore.  Here  they  relieved 
their  feelings,  first  by  falling  on  tlieir  knees  in  prayer,  and  then 
by  springing  up  and  shouting,  "Vivan,  vivan  los  Americanos!"' 


VALUE  OF  OTTER  SKINS 


91 


"El  Capitan''  cast  in  Manila  in  1783  and 
brought  to  San  Diego  in  1800;  now  at  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce. 


"El  Nino"  which  came  with  the  Spaniards 
1769,  now  in  the  Coronel  Collection  at  Los 
Angeles. 


There  is  no  doul)t  that  Corporal  Velasquez  and  his  men  did 
everything'  in  their  power  to  sink  the  Lelia  Byrd.  The  battery 
was  stimulated  by  the  presence  of  the  fiery  commandant,  and, 
perhaps,  the  corporal  thought  it  prudent  to  make  a  showing  of 
zeal,  in  view  of  his  previous  conduct.  Captain  Cleveland  ex- 
presses the  opinion  that  the  contraband  skins  were  offered  them 
treacherousl}',  for  the  express  purpose  of  involving  them  in 
difficulties.  It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  the  corporal  was  placed 
under  arrest  for  his  part  in  the  two  affairs  of  the  Alciroulfr 
and  the  LcIia  Byrd,  accused  of  engaging-  in  forbidden  trade. 
The  priest  in  charge  of  the  Mission  of  San  Luis  Key  also  wrote 
the  commandant  and  asked  for  the  return  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy  skins  which  his  Indian  neophytes  had  snniguled  on 
board  the  Alexander,  doulitless  by  his  own  direction  :  but  be  was 
refused. 

The  animation  of  the  controversy  which  raged  over  these 
otter  skins,  actually  ending  in  a  battle  between  an  American 
ship  and  the  Spanish  fort,  naturally  suggests  a  question  as  to 
what  they  were  worth  in  dollars  and  cents.  The  question  is 
rather  difficult  to  answer,  because  the  value  of  these  furs  fluc- 
tuated over  a  wide  range  at  different  times  and  varied  again 


92  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

with  the  dilferent  markets  in  which  they  were  bought  and  sold. 
It  is  probable  that  the  thousand  skins  at  that  time  in  posses- 
sion of  the  commandant  were  worth  at  San  Diego  not  far  from 
$7,000  or  $8,000.  and  that  they  could  have  been  sold  in  China 
for  five  or  ten  times  that  amount.  The  margin  of  profit  which 
could  have  been  made  on  a  successful  transaction  would  have 
represented  a  good  fortune,  for  those  days,  for  the  owners  of 
the  Lelia  Byrd.  And  now  comes  the  melancholy  part  of  the 
story — melancholy  or  ludicrous,  as  the  reader  pleases.  After 
all  the  trouble  they  had  made,  those  valuable  furs  never  did 
anybody  good.  They  rotted  before  they  could  be  legally  dis- 
posed of  and  three  years  later  were  throAvn  into  the  sea!  But 
the  dignity  of  Spain  had  been  vindicated. 

The  affair  of  the  Lelia  Byrd,  w^hich  caused  a  tremendous 
excitement  at  the  time,  was  long  talked  of  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
They  were  still  gossiping  about  it  when  Richard  Henry  Dana 
visited  San  Diego,  thirty-three  years  later.  The  story  was 
always  told  in  a  way  to  reflect  great  credit  upon  the  Ameri- 
cans, though  it  is  likely  that  they  would  have  preferred  less 
credit — and  the  otter  skins. 

In  January,  1804,  Captain  Joseph  O'Cain,  on  a  trading  expe- 
dition in  the  O'Cnin,  ventured  to  call  and  ask  for  provisions. 
He  had  been  mate  of  the  Enterprise  when  she  was  at  San  Diego, 
three  years  earlier.  He  had  no  passport  and  his  request  was 
refused.  While  his  ship  was  in  the  harbor,  a  negro  sailor 
named  John  Brown  deserted  from  her  and  was  afterward  sent 
to  San  Bias.  Probably  he  was  the  first  negro  ever  seen  in  San 
Diego.  There  is  no  record  of  any  American  visitors  in  1805, 
but  there  was  much  perturbation  in  Spain  and  Spanish- 
America  respecting  the  supposed  designs  of  the  United  States 
upon  California. 

Upon  Governor  Arrillaga's  arrival,  early  in  1806,  more  strin- 
gent measures  were  taken  to  prevent  contral)and  trade.  It  had 
become  something  of  a  custom  for  the  American  trading  ships 
to  avoid  the  ports  and,  by  standing  off  and  sending  boats 
ashore,  to  carry  on  their  trade  at  will.  The  Peacock,  Captain 
Kimball,  anchored  off  San  Juan  Capistrano  in  April,  ostensibly 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  provisions.  Four  men  were  sent 
ashore  in  a  boat,  but  they  were  seized  and  sent  to  San  Diego. 
The  ship  soon  after  appearing  off  the  harbor,  the  men  broke 
jail  and  endeavored  to  rejoin  her,  liut  without  success.  They 
were  therefore  obliged  to  return  to  the  Presidio  and  later  were 
sent  to  San  Bias.  The  names  of  these  men  were :  Tom  Kilven, 
mate;  a  Frenchman,  boatswain;  Bias  Limcamk  and  Bias  Tame, 
sailors  from  Boston.  They  were  the  first  Americans  to  occupy 
a  prison  in  San  Diego. 


TROUBLE  WITH  O'CAIN 


93 


In  the  summer  of  this  year  another  erat't  whose  name  is  not 
known  with  certainty,  but  which  is  said  to  have  been  under 
the  command  of  Captain  O'Cain,  was  off  the  coast  and  gave 
the  San  Diego  military  establishment  some  trouble  and  a  good 
deal  of  fright.  The  Si)anish  accounts  call  her  the  Eeizos,  and 
it  is  possible  she  was  the  Racer,  which  was  here  in  July. 
The  captain,  having  asked  for  supplies  and  an  opportunity  to 
make  repairs  and  been  refused,  went  to  Todos  Santos,  in  Lower 


I  1^  ri: 

1»  8 


<;~>\te.-2  ■ 


BURIAL   OF  JAMES   O.    PATTIE   ON   PRESmiO   HILL 

The  picture  is  somewhat  fanciful,  having  been  made  from  memory  to  illustrate  the  "Narrative" 
ublished  by  his  son  years  afterward,  but  is  interesting  because  it  is  the  only  representative  we  have 
f  the  appearance  of  Presidio  Hill  when  it  was  an  important  seat  of  government.     See  Chapter  IV. 


California,  where  he  took  water  forcibly  and  made  prisoners 
of  three  guards  who  had  been  sent  to  watcli  his  movements. 
He  then  came  back  and  endeavored  to  exchange  his  prisoners 
for  the  four  men  from  the  Peacock:  this  failing,  he  threatened 
to  attack  and  destroy  the  fort  and  Presidio.  Hurried  prepara- 
tions were  made  for  meeting  the  attack,  but  Captain.  O'Cain 
thought  better  of  the  matter  and  sailed  away,  releasing  his 
prisoners.     The  Racer  was  at  San  Diego  again  in  1807.  and  the 


94 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Mercuyi).  Captain  George  Eyres,  in  the  following  year.  These 
were  the  last  foreign  ships  which  eame  for  several  years. 

Again  the  annals  of  the  quiet  years  grow  scanty.  The  mil- 
itary force  fluctuated  slightly,  officials  came  and  went,  quar- 
relled and  became  reconciled,  and  the  elih  and  flow  of  frontier 
life  went  on  with  scarcely  a  ripple. 

In  1804  the  sum  of  .^^688  was  set  apart  by  the  Viceroy  for  the 
construction  of  a  flatboat.  twenty-five  feet  long,  to  be  used  as 
a  means  of  trans]iortation  between  Fort  Gui.jarros  and  the  Pre- 


kjp*^' 


■t  <**«"      ,   r 


JUDGE    WlTllEKllY'S   CHAIR 

A  genuine  specimen  of  mission  furniture,  made  when  the  mis- 
sions were  in  their  glory.  It  was  used  for  many  years  by  Judge 
O.  S.  Witherby  and  is  now  in  Department  One  of  San  Diego  Super- 
ior Court. 


sidio.  This  boat  was  actually  built  and  used  many  years.  Evi- 
dently the  San  Diego  river  had  not  then  filled  in  the  tide  lands 
near  Old  Town.  This  boat  was  wrecked  at  Los  Adobes  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1827,  and  in  the  following  year  the  gov- 
ernor ordered  that  its  timbers  should  be  used  for  building  a 
Avharf.  In  1812  some  soldiers  were  arrested  on  a  charge  of  being 
engaged  in  a  plot  to  revolt  and  seize  the  post.  Governor  Pio 
Pico  in  his  manuscript  History  of  Califortiia  says  that  his  father, 


THE  BOUCHARD  SCARE  9& 

Sergeant  -Jose  Maria  I'ieo,  was  one  of  the  accused  men,  and  that 
three  of  them  died  in  prison. 

The  struggle  for  Mexieaii  indepeudeuee  in  tho  decade  fi'om 
1811  to  1821,  caused  very  little  disturbance  in  I'pper  Califoi-nia. 
The  uncertainty  of  the  soldiers'  pay  and  the  irregularity  in  the 
arrival  of  the  supply  ships  were  keenly  felt;  but  the  archives  of 
the  period  are  almost  silent  on  the  subject  of  the  revolution, 
knowledge  of  which  seems  to  have  been  purposely  suppressed. 
Officials  were  blamed  for  their  negligence,  and  there  was  much 
unrest  and  complaint,  but  the  department  as  a  whole,  both  mil- 
itary and  ecclesiastical,  was  loyal  to  Spain.  The  sufferings  of 
the  soldiers  were  severe.  Their  wants  could  only  be  supplied  l)y 
the  missions,  which  took  in  exchange  for  their  produce  orders  on 
the  treasury  of  Spain  which  they  knew  might  never  be  paid. 
At  the  Presidio  thes(^  supplies  were  traded  to  foreign  ships  and 
sometimes  disposed  of  by  less  regular  methods.  Governor  Arril- 
laga  importuned  the  Viceroy  in  vain  on  the  subject  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  soldiers,  and  by  1814  the  dependence  of  the  military 
upon  the  missions  was  complete.  At  his  visit  in  1817,  Governor 
Sola  found  the  Presidio  buildings  in  a  ruinous  condition.  l)ut 
apparently  nothing  was  done  toward  restoring  them  under  the 
Itrief  remainder  of  Spanish  rule. 

In  ^March  of  this  same  year,  there  was  a  slight  revival  of  for- 
eign trade  following  upon  the  visit  of  Captain  James  Smith  Wil- 
cox, with  the  TraveUer.  He  came  from  the  North  where  he  had 
sold  cloth  to  the  officials  for  the  Presidios  and  brought  with  him 
the  share  assigned  to  San  Diego.  On  his  departure  he  took  a 
cargo  of  grain  for  Loreto, — the  first  cargo  of  grain  exported 
from  California  in  an  American  vessel.  In  June  he  returned 
and  did  some  trading  up  and  down  the  coast,  seeming  to  enjoy 
the  confidence  of  the  authorities  in  an  unusual  degree. 

In  December,  1818,  occurred  the  episode  of  the  Bouchard 
scare,  which  made  a  deep  impression.  Captain  Hippolyte  Bou- 
chard came  to  the  California  Coast  with  two  vessels  which  he  had 
fitted  out  at  the  Hawaiian  Islands  as  privateers,  flying  the  flag 
of  Buenos  Ayres.  He  was  regarded  by  the  Spaniards  as  a  pirate, 
although  his  conduct  scarcely  justifies  so  harsh  a  term.  What 
his  designs  were  is  not  clearly  known.  He  may  have  intended 
to  seize  Tapper  California.  The  expedition  appears  to  have  been 
a  feature  of  the  wars  then  raging  between  Spain  and  the  South 
American  countries,  the  latter  employing  the  methods  of  priva- 
teers, which  at  that  time  were  recognized  by  the  laws  of  nations. 

After  committing  some  depredations  at  the  north,  particularly 
at  Monterey,  it  was  reported  that  the  two  ships  of  Bouchard 
were  approaching  the  Mission  of  San  Juan  Capistrano.  The 
Commandant  at  San  Diego  therefore  sent  Lieutenant  San- 
tiago Argiiello  with  thirty  men  to  assist  in  its  defense.     When 


96  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Argiiello  arrived  lie  found  that  the  Fathers  had  removed  a  part 
of  the  church  property  and  concealed  it,  and  he  and  his  men 
fell  to  and  did  all  they  could  toward  completing  the  work. 
Bouchard  arrived  the  next  day  and  demanded  supplies,  which 
Argiiello  refused.  Re-enforcements  soon  arrived,  and  after  much 
bluster  Bouchard  drew  off  without  venturing  to  give  battle,  but 
not  before  some  damage  had  been  done.  For  this  damage  and 
certain  other  irregularities  the  San  Juan  Capistrano  Mission 
Fathers  accused  Argiiello.  These  charges  were  the  cause  of  much 
bad  feeling  and  voluminous  correspondence,  but  General  Guerra, 
who  Avas  friendly  to  the  friars,  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
charges  were  merely  trumped  up  by  the  priests  to  cover  their 
own  neglect  of  duty. 

Extensive  preparations  had  been  made  at  San  Diego  to  receive 
Captain  Bouchard,  even  down  to  such  details  as  red-hot  cannon 
balls.  The  Avomen  and  children  were  sent  away  to  Pala  for 
safety.  But  the  insurgent  vessels  passed  by  without  stopping, 
and  all  was  soon  serene  again.  ■  When  the  news  of  this  attack 
reached  the  Viceroy,  he  determined  to  re-enforce  the  Upper  Cal- 
ifornia presidios,  at  any  cost,  although  he  was  in  extreme  diffi- 
culties, himself,  on  account  of  the  civil  war  then  raging  in  Mex- 
ico. He  accordingly  managed  to  send  a  detachment  of  a  hun- 
dred cavalrymen,  which  arrived  at  San  Diego  on  the  16th  of  Sep- 
tember the  following  year,  and  about  half  of  them  remained  here. 
They  were  fairly  well  armed  and  brought  money  for  the  pay- 
ment of  expenses. 

Up  to  1819,  the  military  force  at  the  Presidio  was  about  fifty- 
five  men,  liesides  a  detail  of  twenty-five  soldiers  at  the  Mission, 
and  twenty  invalids  living  at  Los  Angeles  or  on  ranchos.  In  that 
year  the  number  was  increased  to  one  hundred  and  ten,  and  in 
1820  the  total  population  of  the  district  was  about  four  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  In  August  of  this  year  the  British  whaler  Dis- 
covery put  in  for  provisions — the  only  foreign  ship  for  several 
years,  and  Captain  Ruiz  got  into  trouble  by  allowing  her  com- 
mander to  take  soundings  of  the  bay. 

At  the  close  of  the  Spanish  rule,  San  Diego  was  still  a  sleepy 
little  military  post  on  a  far  frontier.  The  fortifications  were 
dilapidated,  the  soldiere  in  rags  and  destined  to  lose  their  large 
arrears  of  pay,  and  the  invalids  their  pensions.  The  missions 
had  large  possessions,  but  were  impoverished  by  the  enforced 
support  of  the  military  for  many  years.  Commerce  was  dead 
and  agriculture  scarcely  begun.    But  a  better  day  was  at  hand. 

LIST    OF    SPANISH    AND     MEXICAN     MILITARY    COMMANDANTS 

AT    SAN    DIEGO,     1769-1840. 

Lieutenant    Pedro     Pages,     military     commandant     of     California,     July, 
1770,  to  May,  1774. 


LIST  OF  COMMANDANTS  97 

Lieutenant  Jose  Francisco  Ortega,  from  July,  1771;  made  lieutenant 
and  put  in  formal  charge,   1773;   continued  till  1781. 

Lieutenant  Jose  de  Ziiniga,  September  8,  1781,  to  October  19,  1793. 

Lieutenant   Antonio   Grajera,   Oct.   19,    1793,   to   Aug.   23,   1799. 

Lieutenant  Jose  Font,  temporary  commandant  of  military  post,  rank- 
ing Eodriguez,  Aug.   23,  1799,  to   1803. 

Lieutenant  Manuel  Eodriguez,  acting  commandant  of  the  company 
from  Aug.  23,  1799,  till  1803,  when  he  became  commandant  of  the 
post  and  so  continued  till  late  in   1806. 

Lieutenant  Francisco  Maria  Euiz,  acting  commandant  from  late  in 
1806  till   1807. 

Lieutenant  Jose  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega,  for  a  short  time  in   1806-1807. 

Captain   Jose   Eainiundo    (,'arrillo,   from   late   in   1807   till   1809. 

Lieutenant  Francisco  Maria  Euiz,  lieutenant  and  acting  commandant 
from  1809  till   1821;   then  captain  and  commandant. 

Captain  Ignacio  del  Corral,  nominally  commandant  from  1810  to  1820, 
but  never  came  to   California. 

Lieutenant  Jose  Maria  Estudillo,   Oct.   23,   1820,   to   Sept.,   1821. 

Captain  Francisco  Maria  Euiz,  Sept.,  1821,  to  1827,  when  he  retired 
at   age  of  73. 

Lieutenant   Jose  Maria  Estudillo,   from   early  in   1827   to   April  8,   1830. 

Lieutenant  Santiago  Argiiello,  from  April  8,   1830,  to   1835. 

Captain  Augustin  V.  Zamorano,  from  1835  to  1840;  was  here  only  dur- 
ing 1837-8  and  never  assumed  command  of  the  company. 

Captain  Pablo  de  la  Portilla  was  nominally  commandant  of  the  post 
by  senioritv  of  rank,  whenever  present,  from  1835  until  he  left 
California   in  1838. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BEGINNINGS  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND   COMMERCE. 

HE  range  steer  was  the  first  historical  char- 
acter in  the  commercial  life  of  San  Diego. 
He  it  was  who  drew  the  ships  from  far-off 
New  England;  furnished  material  for  an 
('X})()rt  trade  with  the  United  States.  ^Mexico, 
South  America,  and  the  Sandwich  Islands; 
and  even  laid  the  foundations  of  social  life 
at  Old  Town  by  supplying  an  interest  to  at- 
tract and  support  a  population,  including  some  families  of  large 
means,  when  the  militarv^  society  began  to  pass  away.  Every 
early  visitor  to  San  Diego  refers  to  the  hide-houses  which  stood 
out  conspicuously  near  La  Playa  and  which,  for  many  years, 
served  as  the  emblem  of  its  commercial  importance.  The  trade 
in  hides  and  tallow  was  the  significant  thing  during  that  quarter 
of  a  century — 1821  to  1846 — in  which  San  Diego  rested  under 
the  Mexican  flag.  The  cultivation  of  the  soil  was  a  different 
story,  and  one  full  of  human  interest. 

The  members  of  the  first  expedition  of  Spanish  settlers 
brought  seed  with  them  from  j\Iexico  and  it  was  planted  in  the 
fall  of  1769  on  the  river  bottom,  directly  opposite  Presidio 
Hill,  probably  at  a  place  now  known  as  Serrano's  field.  This 
first  crop  was  a  total  failure — the  ground  was  too  low  and  the 
winter  rise  of  the  stream  in  1770  destroyed  the  grain.  The 
second  crop  was  also  a  disappointment.  It  was  planted  too 
far  away  from  the  stream  to  be  irrigated  and,  as  it  was  a  season 
of  light  rainfall,  only  a  small  quantity  of  maize  and  of  lieans 
was  harvested.  The  third  year  the  scene  of  operations  was 
moved  up  the  valley  to  a  place  called  Nuestra  Senora  del  Pilar, 
near  the  site  subsequently  occupied  by  the  ^fission.  The  result 
was  not  immediately  satisfactory,  as  only  about  twenty  bushels 
of  wheat  were  harvested,  ])ut  the  priests  now  bent  their  minds 
to  the  task  in  earnest,  worked  out  crude  methods  of  irrigation, 
and  finally  established  their  agriculture  successfully.  By  1790 
they  were  raising  fifteen  hundred  bushels  of  grain  annually, 
and  the  production  rapidly  increased.  ^ 

There  is  no  record  of  any  further  attempts  at?  agriculture  in 
the  Eighteenth  Century.  If  any  of  the  soldiers  tried  it,  they 
probably  had  a  varied  experience. 


THE  FIRST  GARDENS  99 

It  was  the  Spanish  soldiers  who  made  the  first  gardens  at 
Okl  Town.  Doulitk'ss  as  they  looked  down  from  Presidio  Hill 
they  had  an  eye  for  choice  spots  of  land  where  they  would  one 
day  make  a  comfortable  home  for  their  old  age  and  live  nnder 
their  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  in  the  literal  sense  of  the  term. 
The  very  first  house  in  Old  Town  was  doubtless  the  tule  hut  of 
a  retired  soldier.  And  the  pioneer  of  successful  gardeners  was 
Captain  Francisco  JMaria  Ruiz.  He  planted  the  spot  which 
afterwards  came  to  be  known  as  Rose's  Garden ,  and  his  pears, 
olives,  and  pomegranates  bore  goodly  crops  for  seventy-five  or 
eighty  years.  These  trees  were  planted  early  in  the  last  century 
and  it  is  only  a  few  years  since  the  last  survivors  of  them,  which 
happened  to  be  pear  trees,  were  removed.  This  pioneer  garden 
was  in  the  same  block  as  the  residence  of  George  Lyons.  The 
oli^'e  trees  at  the  Mission,  and  the  famous  old  palms  at  the  foot 
of  Presidio  Hill,  were  the  onl\-  plantings  which  antedated  the 
orchard  of  Captain  Ruiz. 

There  is  no  possible  doubt  that  the  two  old  palms  were  the 
first  ever  planted  in  California,  and  as  such  they  constitute  a 
most  valuable  and  interesting  historical  exhibit.  The  seeds  from 
which  they  sprang  were  a  part  of  that  remarkable  outfit  with 
which  Galvez  had  thoughtfully  supplied  his  expedition  for  the 
conquest  of  the  new  empire.  They  were  planted  in  1769,  and 
there  is  good  evidence  that  they  bore  a  crop  of  dates  in  1869, 
in  honor  of  their  one-hundredth  birthday.  There  is  a  tradition 
that  they  never  bore  a  crop  earlier  than  that — a  freak  of  na- 
ture, if  true.  The  historic  trees  were  shamefully  neglected  and 
abused  for  many  years.  They  were  gnawed  by  disrespectful 
horses,  and  fell  victims  to  those  thoughtless  vandals  who,  for 
some  inscrutable  reason,  never  miss  an  opportunity  to  carve 
their  own  unimportant  initials  u]'»on  everything  which  the  public 
is  interested  in  having  preserved  unscarred.  In  April,  1887,  a 
very  modest  fence  was  placed  about  the  trees  and  now  they  bid 
fair  to  survive  for  many  a  generation. 

By  the  year  1821  the  little  patckes  of  cultivated  land  had 
multiplied  at  the  base  of  Presidio  Hill  and  even  spread  up  and 
across  ]\Iission  Valley.  Don  Bias  Aguilar,  who  was  born  at 
San  Diego,  in  1811,  recalled  fifteen  such  rancherias,  as  they 
were  called,  which  were  occupied  prior  to  the  great  flood  of  that 
year.  At  two  places  in  tke  valley  tkere  were  vineyards.  ]\Iost 
of  the  rancherias  were  washed  away  or  greatly  damaged  by  the 
flood,  which  occurred  in  September  or  October  and  in  a  single 
night  filled  the  valley  and  changed  the  course  of  the  river. 
Large  numbers  ctf  ripe  pumpkins  were  brought  down  from  the 
fields  in  the  El  Cajon  country.  Dana  was  able  to  buy,  in  July, 
1836,  a  bag  of  onions,  some  pears,  beans,  watermelons,  and 
other  fruits. 


100  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  line  upper  YjlUev  of  the  Sau  Diego,  includiug  the  El 
Cajou,  was  monopolized  by  the  Mission  Fathers ;  hence,  the 
military  were  compelled  to  look  elsewhere  for  their  grazing  and 
farming  lands.  For  grazing  purposes,  they  took  possession  of 
that  fine  district  known  in  later  times  as  the  National  Ranch, 
but  called  by  the  Spanish  the  Rancho  del  Rey,  or  Ranch  of  the 
King.  Their  grain-fields  were  located  at  the  Soledad,  twelve 
miles  lip  the  coast.  This  latter  valley  was  treated  as  the  com- 
mons of  the  San  Diego  military  establishment,  and,  later,  of 
the  Pueblo.  The  land  was  not  divided  into  individual  holdings, 
but  farmed  in  common.  A  man  cultivating  a  plot  one  year  had 
the  option  of  doing  so  the  next  season,  an  arrangement  which 
continued  until  a  short  time  before  the  Mexican  War. 

Agriculture  never  acquired  any  great  importance  in  all  the 
years  of  Spanish  and  Mexican  dominion.  True,  there  is*  a 
record  of  grain  exports  in  1817,  as  already  noted,  and  this  is 
evidence  of  progress  when  it  is  remembered  that  it  had  for- 
merly been  necessary  to  import  this  staple  from  ]\Iexico ;  but 
the  exports  never  reached  an  important  stage.  The  easy-going 
inhabitants  were  well  content  if  they  produced  enough  to  meet 
their  OAvn  needs,  and  their  methods  and  implements  were 
ridiculously  crude.  Until  the  Americans  came,  there  were  no 
ploAvs  in  the  country  except  those  made  of  the  fork  of  a  tree 
shod  with  a  flat  piece  of  iron.  Grain  was  cut  with  a  short 
sickle,  and  horses  threshed  it  with  their  hoofs. 

But  while  the  agricultural  experience  was  a  hard  struggle 
from  the  beginning,  the  livestock  industry  was  rapidly  devel- 
oped without  encountering  any  difficulties  worth  mentioning. 
It  involved  but  little  labor,  and  that  little  was  of  a  kind  ad- 
mirably suited  to  the  Spanish  disposition,  for  it  could  be  done 
mostly  on  horseback  with  long  intervals  of  rest  between  the 
periods  of  activity.  The  pasturage  was  usually  excellent  and 
the  cattle  took  care  of  themselves  and  multiplied  prodigiously. 
The  Mission  Fathers  were,  of  course,  also  the  fathers  of  the 
cattle  business.  It  was  not  until  the  community  acquired  a 
population  apart  from  that  sheltered  by  the  Presidio  and  the 
]\Iission  that  private  herds  began  to  appear,  but  the  success  of 
the  Fathers  inevitably  attracted  others  into  the  profitable 
business  of  raising  cattle  on  free  pastures. 

The  Spaniards  were  lovers  of  horses  and  had  them  in  such 
plenty  that  it  was  frequently  necessary  to  slaughter  them  in 
order  to  prevent  serious  interference  with  the  cattle  industry. 
The  Californians — a  term  which  described  the  whole  resident 
population  of  Spanish  or  Mexican  blood — were  noted  for  their 
horsemanship,  yet  they  seem  to  have  taken  no  pains  to  breed 
good  stock.  This  they  might  easily  have  done,  for  they  had 
good  Arabian  stock  to  start  with,  and  doubtless  the  horse  might 


PIONEER  HIDE  SHIPS  101 

have  become  an  iiiipoi'laiit  item  for  export.  With  the  exception 
of  a  few  shiploads  sent  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  early  days, 
this  opportunity  seems  to  have  been  neglected.  There  were  a 
few  sheep  in  early  times,  but  they  never  grew  into  large  flocks — 
perhaps  because  they  required  more  care  than  the  Califomians 
Avere  willing  to  give  them,  or  because  the  Californians  were  not 
fond  of  mutton. 

The  pioneer  ship  in  the  hide  trade  between  New  England 
and  California  was  the  Sachem  of  Boston,  which  first  came  to 
the  coast  in  1822.  Her  Captain  was  Henry  Gyzelaar,  while  the 
supercargo  was  "William  A.  Gale,  a  man  of  considerable  note. 
He  had  been  engaged  in  the  California  fur  trade,  and  his 
glowing  report  of  the  resources  and  possibilities  of  the  country 
was  very  influential  in  developing  a  fleet  of  trading  ships  and 
giving  California  its  first  boom.  The  Boston  merchants  who  • 
became  interested  included  Bryant  &  Sturgis,  Trot,  Bumstead 
»&  Son,  and  W.  B.  Sweet.  The  important  San  Francisco  firms 
engaged  in  this  trade  at  the  time  were  J.  C.  Jones,  and  Paty, 
]\IcKinlay  &  Co.  Captain  Henry  D.  Fitch,  the  first  great  mer- 
chant of  San  Diego,  was  a  member  of  the  latter  firm.  The 
Sachem  did  not  call  at  San  Diego,  securing  a  cargo  elsewhere, 
but  she  was  soon  followed  by  other  ships  and  a  thriving  trade 
in  hides  was  established,  which  flourished  until  the  Mexican 
War  was  well  under  way. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  hide  ships  to  remain  some  time  on 
the  coast,  going  from  port  to  port  and  bringing  the  hides  which 
they  collected  to  the  large  warehouses  at  San  Diego,  there  to 
be  prepared  for  shipment  and  stored  until  ready  for  the  home- 
ward voyage.  These  trips  up  and  down  the  f^oast  occupied 
three  or  four  months  and  seven  or  eight  trips  were  required 
for  the  collection  of  a  cargo,  so  that  two  years  or  more  were 
often  spent  on  a  voyage.  The  best  account  of  this  trade  is  that 
contained  in  Dana's  Two  Years  Before  the  Mad. 

The  cattle  were  slaughtei-ed  from  July  1st  to  October  1st. 
The  methods  used  were  wasteful.  About  two  hundred  pounds 
of  the  best  part  of  the  beef  were  dried  and  put  aside  for  future 
use,  and  the  remainder  thrown  away,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  buzzards  and  wild  beasts.  The  hides  were  prepared  for 
shipment  by  immersing  them  froiu  two  to  four  days  in  large 
vats  of  l)rine  in  order  to  make  them  immune  against  the  attacks 
of  insects.  They  were  then  spread  out  on  the  beach  and  dried, 
then  hung  on  ropes  and  beaten  with  a  flail  until  all  the  dust 
and  sand  were  removed,  and,  finally,  stored  in  the  warehouses 
to  await  the  sailing  of  the  ships.  A  sliip-load  ranged  from 
25,000  to  50,000  hides. 

The  tallow  was  tried  out  in  large  pots  and  poured  into  bags 
made  of  hides,  to  cool,  each  bag  containinu'  f7'oni  five  hundred 


102 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


to  a  tlioiisaud  pounds.  In  securing  the  tallow,  the  part  lying 
nearest  the  hide  was  carefully  removed  and  prepared  for  do- 
mestic use.  A  great  deal  of  this  grade  of  tallow  went  to  Lima 
and  Callao,  to  be  used  in  making  candles.  The  interior  fat, 
weighing  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  pounds  per  animal, 
furnished  the  j^rincipal  staple  for  export  trade  and  was  worth 


RICHARD   HENRY   DANA 

Author  of  "Two  Years  Before  the  Mast."  The  portrait 
shows  him  as  he  appeared  at  the  heig-ht  of  his  fame  as  jurist, 
politician  and  author.      He  died  at  Rome,  January  6,  1882. 


six  cents  per  pound.  This  now  seems  very  low,  but  of  course, 
was  due  to  the  exceedingly  small  cost  of  producing  cattle  on  the 
open  range  and  to  the  heavy  expense  of  shipping ;  otherwise 
the  business  could  not  have  prospered  with  such  enormous 
waste  and  such  low  prices  for  products. 

For  the   purpose  of    storing   the    hides,   a   number  of  large 
warehouses  were  erected  by  the  Boston  firms  at  a  point  on  the 


HISTORIC  HIDE  HOUSE  103 

shore  nearest  the  anchorage,  known  as  La  Playa  (the  beach), 
near  the  site  of  the  present  goverinnent  quarantine  staticjii. 
These  houses  were  framed  in  Boston,  sent  out  in  the  ships 
and  set  up  here.  They  were  named  after  the  ships,  and  the 
names  of  four  of  them  are  recalled  by  old  settlers  as  the  Admit- 
tance, the  Califovnia,  the  Steiiiiuj,  and  the  Tasso.  There 
do  not  appear  to  have  been  more  than  four  in  existence  at  one 
time.  For  instance,  Dana  says  there  were  four  in  1836.  They 
stood  until  some  time  in  the  fifties.  E.  W.  Morse  says  he  spent 
his  first  night  on  shore,  in  April,  1850,  in  one  of  these  old 
buildings,  which  was  then  used  as  a  warehouse.  Andrew 
(Jassidy  says  there  was  only  one  of  them  standing  when  he  ar- 
rived, three  years  later,  and  that  it  stood  for  several  years  after. 
Lieutenant  Derby,  who  came  in  August,  1853,  says  there  were 
then  left  the  ruins  of  two  of  the  old  hide  houses,  one  being  the 
Tasso.  Bartlett,  in  his  Personal  Narrative,  states  that  when 
he  was  here  in  1852,  these  houses  were  still  standing  "exactly 
as  described  by  Dana  in  1836,"  but  this  is  clearly  somewhat 
inexact.  There  were  also  warehouses  in  San  Diego  for  the 
storage  of  the  tallow  which  was  to  be  sent  to  Peru  or  JMexico. 
No  hides  were  exported  to  Peru  or  Mexico  and  no  tallow  to 
Boston. 

The  first  hide  house  was  built  by  the  carpenter  of  the  Brook- 
line  and  occupied  by  James  P.  Arthur,  mate  of  that  ship,  with 
a  small  party,  while  curing  hides,  in  1829.  The  Boston  Adver- 
tiser says  on  his  authority: 

They  had  a  barn-like  structure  of  wood,  .  .  .  wliich 
answered  the  purpose  of  storehouse,  curing-shop,  and  residence. 
The  life  was  lonesome  enough.  Upon  the  wide  expanse  of  the 
Pacific  they  occasionally  discerned  a  distant  ship.  Sometimes 
a  vessel  sailed  near  the  lower  offing.  It  was  thus  that  the  idea 
of  preparing  and  raising  a  flag,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting 
attention,  occurred  to  them.  The  flag  was  manufactured 
from  some  shirts,  and  Captain  Arthur  WTites,  with  tlie  just 
accuracy  of  a  historian,  that  Mr.  Greene's  calico  shirt  furn- 
ished the  blue,  while  he  furnished  the  red  and  white.  "It  was 
completed  and  raised  on  a  Sunday,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
arrival  of  the  schooner  Washington,  Captain  Thompson,  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands,  but  sailing  under  the  American  flag." 
So  writes  honest  Captain  Arthur.  He  further  states  that  the 
same  flag  was  afterward  frequently  raised  at  Santa  Barbara, 
whenever  in  fact  there  was  a  vessel  coming  into  port.  These 
men  raised  our  national  ensign,  not  in  bravado,  nor  for  war 
and  conquest,  but  as  honest  men,  to  show  that  they  were 
American  citizens  and  wanted  company.  And  while  the  act 
cannot  be  regarded  as  in  the  light  of  a  claim  to  sovereignty, 
it  is  still  interesting  as  a  fact,  and  as  an  unconscious  indica- 
tion   of   manifest   destiny. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  all  the  American  trading  ships  which 
have  been  found,  known  to  have  called  at  San  Diego  during  the 


104 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


life  of  the  hide  trade.  A  few  of  these  were  doubtless  whah^rs, 
and  there  were  probably  others  of  which  no  record  has  been 
found;  but  it  is  l:)elieyed  this  list  contains  the  names  of  substan- 
tially all  the  hide  ships. 


In  1824,  Arab,  Mentor. 

1825,  Sachem. 

1825-6,  Bover. 

1828,  Andes,  Courier,  Frank- 
lin, General  Sucre. 

1829-31,  BrookUne,  Louisa. 

1829-32-34,  Volunteer. 

1831,  Harriet. 

1831-3-6-8-9-40-2-3-4.  Alert. 

1831-2-3-7-8-9-40-1-2-3-4,  Cali- 
fornia. 

1832-3.  Plant. 

1833.  Newcastle. 

1833-38-45,  Don  Quixote. 

1833-36-43.   Bolivar  Liberator. 

1833.  Harriet  Blanchard. 

1834,  Boxana. 


1835.  Pilgrim. 

1836.  Lagoda,   Loriotte,   Cata- 
Una. 

1836-7,  Kent. 

1837.  Basselas,  Sopliia. 

1839,  Morse. 

1840,  Alciope. 
1840-1,  3Ionsoon. 

1841,  Thomas   Perkins. 
1841-2-3-5-7.  Tasso. 
1842-4-6-7,  Barnstable. 
1839-43-4,  Fama. 

1844,  Menkar. 
1844-5,  Sterling. 

1845,  Maltha.  Admittance. 

1846,  Vandalia. 
1847-8,  Okja. 


The  hide  and  tallow  trade  practically  ended  with  the  trans- 
fer of  California  to  the  United  States.  This  was  a  mere  coin- 
cidence, due  to  economic  rather  than  to  political  causes.  New 
England  found  that  she  could  get  her  hides  cheaper  somewhere 
else.  The  trade  had  marked  the  high  tide  of  prosperity  in  old 
California  days,  and  supplied  an  interesting  and  romantic  epi- 
sode in  the  history  of  the  country.  Excellent  accounts  of  this 
period  maj^  be  found  in  the  writings  of  Bancroft,  Dana,  Eob- 
inson,  anci  Davis.  The  latter,  perhaps  the  most  competent 
authority,  estimates  the  total  numl^er  of  hides  exported  from 
California  at  about  5,000,000  and  the  tallow  at  250,000.000 
I^ounds. 

Even  after  the  cattle  business  passed  mostly  into  private 
hands,  the  missions  profited  largely  from  it.  by  means  of  tithes, 
a  form  of  ecclesiastical  tax  scrupulously  paid  by  the  rancheros 
and  diligently  collected  by  the  missionaries.  This  tax  was  col- 
lected, in  some  instances,  as  late  as  1850  or  1851.  The  missions 
were  also  the  principal  customers  of  the  American  ships.  Their 
cargoes  consisted  of  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  rum.  silk,  furniture, 
calico,  clothing,  and  blankets  for  the  Indians,  which  they  sold 
to  the  friars  for  cash  and  exchanged  for  hides.  William  A.  Gale. 
Alfred  Robinson,  and  William  Heath  Davis  did  a  large  business 
with  the  missions  for  many  years. 

In  Robinson's  Life  in  California  is  an  interesting  account  of 
the  pains  which  were  taken,  upon  his  first  visit  to  San  Diego, 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  LAND  105 

in  1829,  to  entertain  the  good  Father  Autonio  Peyri,  founder  of 
the  San  Luis  Rev  ^lission,  and  cspeeialh-  to  impress  him  with 
the  excellence  of  the  stores  brought  in  the  Brookline,  from  Bos- 
ton. This  entertainment  seems  to  have  proven  quite  profitable, 
in  the  end.  The  missionaries  kept  the  first,  and  for  many  years 
the  only,  stores,  from  which  they  supplied  the  wants  of  their 
neophytes  and  sold  goods  to  such  as  desired  them.  Their  suc- 
cess soon  stimulated  emulation  in  this,  as  in  other,  lines  and 
private  fortunes  began  to  grow.  The  first  storekeeper  at  San 
Diego,  and  the  only  one  for  some  years,  was  Captain  Henry  D. 
Fitch,  who  dealt  in  furs,  hides,  and  general  merchandise.  After 
the  cattle  business  began  to  assume  importance  and  private  resi- 
dences were  established  in  the  country,  at  every  important 
rancho  was  maintained  a  general  store  and  depot  of  supply  for 
the  surrounding  country. 

With  the  growth  of  the  hide  and  tallow  trade,  land  began  to 
assume  more  value  and  private  holdings  increased.  Under  the 
Spanish  administration,  only  the  king  could  make  grants  of  land, 
and  it  was  many  years  before  the  right  was  exercised  toward  any 
except  the  missionaries.  The  general  laws  of  Spain  provided 
for  the  granting  of  four  square  leagues  of  land  to  newly-formed 
settlements,  or  pueblos  as  they  were  called,  upon  certain  condi- 
tions. As  early  as  1784,  application  was  made  to  the  Governor 
by  private  individuals  for  grants  of  land,  and  he  issued  a  few 
written  permits  for  temporary  occupation.  Two  years  later  he 
received  authority  to  make  grants  of  tracts  not  exceeding  three 
leagues,  not  to  conflict  with  the  boundaries  of  existing  pueblos, 
and  on  certain  conditions  which  included  the  building  of  a  stone 
house  and  the  keeping  of  not  less  than  two  thousand  head  of  live- 
stock on  each  rancho. 

It  was  considered  that  vacant  lands  outside  the  pueblos  and 
missions  belonged  to  the  Indians,  to  be  utilized  by  them  when- 
ever they  should  become  sufficiently  civilized.  In  1793  it  was 
reported  that  no  private  grants  had  been  made,  but  a  few  years 
later  a  number  were  made  near  the  presidios,  subject  to  con- 
firmation later  on.  Several  go^'ernors  in  succession  preferred  to 
make  these  conditional  grants,  and  at  the  close  of  the  18tli  cen- 
tui-y  the  situation  was  this:  The  Presidio  was  without  settlers, 
l)ut  expected  ultimately  to  become  a  pueblo,  and  was  entitled 
to  four  square  leagues  of  land  whenever  proper  organization 
should  appear;  and  there  were  in  the  whole  department  twenty 
or  thirty  men  engaged  in  raising  cattle  on  lands  to  which  they 
had  only  such  possessory  permits,  but  none  of  these  appear  to 
have  been  at  San  Diego.  In  1813  the  Spanish  cortes  passed  a 
decree  relative  to  the  reduction  of  public  lands  to  private  own- 
ei-ship,  designed  to  improve  agricultural  conditions  and  reward 


106  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  country's  defenders.  Lands  might  be  granted  to  veterans 
and  invalid  soldiers. 

This  decree  was  unknown  in  California  before  1820.  One  of 
the  earliest  of  the  grants  made  under  this  law  was  that  of  the 
Peiiasquitos  Eancho,  of  nearly  nine  thousand  acres,  to  the  vet- 
eran Captain  Ruiz  and  Francisco  'SI.  Alvarado,  on  June  15, 
1823.  This  grant  was  made  against  the  earnest  protests  of  the 
missionaries,  as  conflicting  with  their  boundaries.  In  a  report 
made  in  1828  are  named  the  Rancho  del  Rey,  now^  known  as 
the  National  Ranch,  where  the  Presidio  had  250  cattle  and  25 
horses ;  the  San  Antonio  Abad,  which  had  300  cattle,  80  horses 
and  25  mules,  besides  producing  some  grain ;  the  Peiiasquitos 
Rancho,  with  50  cattle,  20  horses,  and  8  mules;  El  Rosario,  or 
Barracas.  which  had  25  head  of  live-stock  and  some  uTain  ;  and 
the  San  Ysidro  stock  range.  It  also  appears  from  a  statement 
of  the  missionaries  in  this  year  that  the  Temescal  Rancho  had 
been  occupied  by  Leandro  Serrano,  majordomo  at  San  Juan. 
In  January  or  ^March,  1829.  Cxovernor  Echeandia  granted  one 
league  at  Otay  to  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo,  and  another  to  Maria 
Magdalena  Estudillo. 

From  about  1832  grants  were  rapidly  made  of  the  public  or 
unoccupied  lands  of  California ;  and  subsequent  to  the  acts  of 
secularization  of  1833-1,  it  was  the  practice  of  the  government 
to  grant  to  individuals  tracts  of  land  belonging  to  the  missions, 
but  which  were  no  longer  used  or  occupied  Ijy  them.  In  spite 
of  the  opposition  of  the  priests,  grants  were  constantly  made 
by  the  government  within  the  limits  of  the  so-called  mission 
do2nain,  and  this  continued  up  to  1816,  when  the  dominion  of 
Upper  California  passed  to  the  American  Government.  And 
so  it  went  on,  until  the  country,  except  the  mission  and  pueblo 
lands,  had  passed  into  private  hands.  A  table  showing  these 
early  land  grants  is  given  at  the  end  of  this  chapter. 

Mr.  Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke  has  written  very  instructively 
about  these  land  grants  in  his  Cifij  and  Coioify  of  Srni  Diego. 
He  says : 

Soon  after  the  establishment  of  other  missions  in  California, 
and  the  quieting  and  gathering  in  of  the  greater  part  of  the 
Indians  around  the  missions,  settlers  from  Spain  and  Mexieo 
began  to  come  in,  and  later  on  a  few  from  the  United  States, 
England,  and  elsewhere.  Nearly  all  these  settlers  obtained 
grants  of  large  tracts  of  land  from  the  Mexican  Government, 
which  have  since  been  the  cause  of  much  litigation,  envy, 
and  quarrelling.  These  grants  were  simply  Mexican  home- 
steads, given  to  settle  the  country  .just  as  the  United  States 
homesteads    are    given,    for   practically    nothing. 

Instead  of  selling  a  man,  as  the  United  States  then  did, 
all  the  land  he  wanted  for  .$1.2.5  an  acre,  the  Mexican  Gov- 
ernment gave  it  to  him  by  the  square  league.  The  grants  were 
made   large   ])artly   as   an    inducement   to   the   settler   to    go   into 


THE  FISHERIES  107 

such  a  wild  and  remote  country,  but  mainly  because  the  raising 
of  cattle  for  the  bides  and  tallow  being  the  only  industry,  a 
large  range  was  absolutely  necessary  for  profit  as  well  as  the 
support  of  the  band  of  retainers  necessary  for  profit  and 
safety.     .     .     . 

The  first  effect  of  these  large  grants  was  to  retard  settlement. 
The  County  of  San  Diego,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  South- 
ern California,  was  then  believed  to  be  a  veritable  desert  of 
sand,  cactus,  and  horned  toads,  fit  only  for  stock  range  at  the 
rate  of  about  one  hundred  acres  to  each  animal. 

Dairying'  was  practically  unknown  among  the  ranchos,  and 
often  there  was  no  effort  even  to  keep  the  tables  supplied  with 
2iiilk.  Davis  says  that  he  has  frequently  drank  his  coffee  or 
tea  without  milk,  on  a  ranch  containing  from  3600  to  8000  head 
of  cattle.  Other  methods  were  equally  wasteful.  The  horns 
were  not  thought  worth  saving,  and  the  Americans  who  chose 
Avere  allowed  to  gather  and  ship  all  they  cared  to,  without  money 
and  without  price.  These  lax  methods  may  be  further  illus- 
trated hy  the  fact  that  in  1840  the  ^Mission  of  San  Jose  ordered 
the  slaughter  of  two  thousand  bulls,  which  were  killed  simply 
for  their  hides,  none  of  the  meat,  and  little  of  the  tallow,  being 
saved. 

Next  to  the  cattle  industry,  and  the  trade  in  hides  and 
tallow,  the  fisheries  made  the  most  important  contribution  to 
the  early  commerce  of  San  Diego.  And  the  fisheries  included 
the  exciting  chase  for  the  sea  otter,  which  was  very  valuable 
for  its  fur.  The  otters  were  far  more  plentiful  in  the  north, 
yet  were  frequent  A'isitors  to  the  San  Diego  coast,  especially 
to  the  kelp  beds  oft'  Point  Loma  and  La  Jolla.  The  Indians 
were  acquainted  with  the  use  of  their  furs  when  the  Spaniards 
came,  and  one  of  the  early  cares  of  the  missionaries  was  to  train 
their  converts  to  improved  methods  of  catching  them.  The 
Indians  do  not  appear  to  have  been  remarkably  energetic 
hunters,  but  enough  skins  were  brought  in  to  form  an  important 
item  of  export  and  a  subject  of  contention  between  the  cam- 
mandants  and  the  missionaries,  both  of  whom  thought  them- 
selves entitled  to  a  monopoly  of  the  traffic.  Tlie  heyday  of  the 
Spanish  trade  was  about  the  time  of  the  Lelia  Byrd  affair, 
when  virtually  the  whole  population  had  skins  to  sell,  openly 
or  covertly,  and  the  commandant  had  a  collection  of  about  a 
thousand  confiscated  skins. 

By  the  time  the  Americans  began  to  settle  at  San  Diego  otters 
were  not  so  common  in  the  bay,  but  along  the  coast  of  Lower 
California  and  its  adjacent  islands  there  was  still  good  hunting. 
Philip  Crosthwaite  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  best  known  otter 
hunters.  He  stated  that  there  were  two  companies  of  hunters 
at  San  Diego,  in  1845,  which  were  fitted  out  each  season  by 
Captain    Fitch.     The    hunting    season    was    during   the    spring 


108 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


and  sumniei-  luonths.  when  the  otters  could  be  found  among  the 
kelp,  often  asleep,  and  shot  with  rifles  from  boats.  This  work 
required  a  peculiar  equipment  of  patience,  keen  sight,  steady 
nerves,  and  marksmanship.  Each  company  sent  out  three 
canoes  together  which  hunted  in  the  day  and  lay  up  on  the  beach 
at  night.  There  were  places  on  the  shore  known  to  the  hunters, 
where  wood  and  water  could  be  found,  and  at  night  they  landed 


WILLIAM    HEATH   DAVIS 

Noted  author,  associated  with  Lieut.  Gray  in  abortive  effort  to  found 
new  town,  frequently  called  "Davis's  Folly." 


at  such  spots  through  the  surf  and  made  their  camp.  As  late 
as  1857,  two  otter  hunters  were  drowned  in  the  surf  on  the 
beach  near  Point  Loma,  while  trying  to  land  in  a  small  boat. 
Otters  are,  of  course,  now  extinct  in  this  vicinity.  In  1845  the 
skins  were  worth  $40  each  at  Fitch's  store.  There  are  no 
statistics  of  the  extent  and  value  of  the  otter  catch,  l)ut  it  was 
very  considerable. 


THE  WHALING  TRADE  109 

That  strange  animal,  the  sea-ek^phant,  Avas  also  a  native  to 
this  coast,  and  for  a  short  time  was  a  victim  of  the  chase.  Very 
early  settlers  tell  how,  on  stormy  days,  the  yelps  of  the  elephants 
lying  on  the  sand  at  what  is  now  Coronado  Beach  could  be  heard 
in  San  Diego  above  the  roar  of  the  breakers.  They  were  also 
plentiful  in  the  haunts  of  the  otter,  along  the  coasts  and  islands 
of  Lower  California.  They  seem  never  to  have  formed  an  ex- 
tensive object  of  the  chase  by  the  population.  The  story  of 
their  destruction  is  short  and  sad.  Some  of  the  Yankee  whalers 
heard  of  them  and  conceived  the  idea  that  there  might  be  money 
in  elephant  oil.  There  was  a  rush  for  them ;  they  were 
slaughtered  by  thousands,  and  soon  exterminated.  It  is  said 
that  some  of  these  ships  secured  an  entire  cargo  of  elephant 
oil  in  a  single  season 's  chase.  At  any  rate,  these  curious  animals 
are  gone,  forever,  from  these  parts.  And  does  the  reader  ask, 
"What  is  a  sea-elephant?"  Merely  a  big  seal — the  biggest  of 
his  family — with  a  snout  so  prolonged  as  to  be  suggestive  of  an 
elephant. 

The  Spanish  population  never  pursued  the  chase,  either  by 
land  or  sea,  with  noteworthy  daring  and  vigor.  It  was  great 
sport  for  the  expert  vaqueros  to  lasso  a  bear  now  and  then  and 
lead  him  home,  to  be  baited  to  death  by  dogs  and  bulls ;  it  never 
occurred  to  their  uncommercial  souls  that  this  sort  of  thing 
could  be  turned  into  a  money-making  enterprise.  Cattle  were 
plentiful  and  cheap ;  why  should  a  man  incur  fatigue  and  dan- 
ger in  the  pursuit  of  articles  of  luxury  which  the  state  of 
society  did  not  require?  Such  things  were  left  to  the  restless 
and  incomprehensible  Americans.  Cattle  were  something  the 
Spanish  could  understand,  and  it  was  all  very  well  to  shoot  an 
otter  now  and  then  as  it  lay  asleep  in  the  sun  on  beach  or  kelp  ; 
but  to  spend  one's  days  amidst  the  toil  and  danger  of  the  ocean 
chase,  was  nuich  too  strenuous.  The  finest  of  otter  skins  were 
worth  no  more  than  the  hides  of  four  or  five  bullocks,  and 
there  was  neither  use  nor  sale  for  whale  oil,  until  the  American 
ships  came. 

The  story  of  the  American  whaling  trade  in  the  Pacific  is 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  romantic  in  our  history,  and 
the  half  has  never  been  told.  The  enterprise,  hardihood,  dar- 
ing, and  skill  which  made  it  possible,  form  a  worthy  se(iuel  to 
the  wonder-tales  of  England's  Elizabethan  age.  This  chase 
began  long  before  the  Mexican  War  and  still  continues  to  a 
limited  extent.  The  chief  rendezvous  of  the  whale  ships  was 
first  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  later  at  San  Francisco.  In 
1855  their  number  had  reached  five  hundred,  but  it  was  not 
until  ten  years  later  that  San  Francisco  became  the  head- 
quarters. Whales  were  known  to  exist  on  the  coast  from  the 
time  of  the  earliest  settlements.     Father  Crespi  has  left  it  on 


110  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

record  that  upon  his  arrival  at  San  Pablo  Bay,  in  March,  1772, 
he  saw  whales  spouting',  and  there  is  no  doubt  the  same 
phenomeno]!  had  lieen  observed  here,  where  whales  were  no  less 
plentiful. 

As  late  as  the  early  forties,  San  Diego  Bay  was  a  favorite 
resort  for  female  whales  in  their  calving  season,  and  at  such 
times,  on  any  bright  day,  scores  of  them  could  be  seen  spouting 
and  basking  in  the  sunlight.  On  North  Island  there  was  a  spring 
which  the  inhabitants  of  La  Playa  were  in  .the  habit  of  visiting 
in  canoes  to  get  a  supply  of  fresh  water.  Often  when  these 
whales  were  passing  in  or  out,  it  was  deemed  unsafe  to  cross, 
and  the  Ijoatmen  had  to  wait  for  hours.  But  when  the  chase 
began  in  earnest  and  steamers  began  to  visit  the  harbor,  the 
whales  abandoned  the  place  and  went  farther  down  the  coast. 
They  still  passed  by  near  the  shore,  however,  in  the  winter  and 
spring  months,  and  came  in  near  Ballast  Point  in  great  numbers. 
Andrew  Cassidy  says  he  has  often  counted  as  many  as  eleven 
whales  inside  Ballast  Point,  all  spouting  at  one  time,  and  in 
Jamiary,  1872,  it  is  on  record  that  fifteen  were  seen  at  one  time. 

Dana  tells  this  story  regarding  an  adventure  with  a  whale  at 
San  Pedro : 

This  being  the  spring  season,  San  Pedro,  as  well  as  all  the 
other  open  ports  upon  the  coast,  was  filled  with  whales  that  had 
come  in  to  make  their  annual  visit  upon  soundings.  For  the 
first  few  days  that  we  were  here  and  at  Santa  Barbara  we 
watched  them  with  great  interest,  calling  out  "There  she 
blows,"  every  time  we  saw  the  spout  of  one  breaking  the  sur- 
face of  the  water;  but  they  soon  became  so  common  that  we 
took  little  notice  of  them.  We  once  very  nearly  ran  one  down 
in  the  gig,  and  should  probably  have  been  knocked  to  pieces 
or  blown  sky-high.  We  had  been  on  board  the  little  Spanish 
brig,  and  were  returning,  stretching  out  well  at  our  oars,  the 
little  boat  going  like  a  swallow;  our  backs  were  forward,  and 
the  captain,  who  was  steering,  was  not  looking  out,  when  all 
at  once  we  heard  the  spout  of  a  whale  directly  ahead.  "Back 
water!  back  water,  for  your  lives!"  shouted  the  captain, 'and 
we  backed  our  blades  in  the  water  and  brought  the  boat  to 
in  a  smother  of  foam.  Turning  our  heads,  we  saw  a  great, 
rough,  hump-backed  whale  slowly  crossing  our  forefoot,  within 
three  or  four  yards  of  the  boat 's  stem.  Had  we  not  backed 
water  just  as  we  did  we  should  inevitably  have  gone  smash 
upon  him.  He  took  no  notice  of  us,  but  passed  slowly  on,  and 
dived  a  few  yards  beyond  us,  throwing  his  tail  high  in  the  air. 

The  whales  passed  south  from  December  to  February,  and  on 
their  return  trip  north  in  March  and  April.  The  local  whale 
companies  were  formed  early  in  the  fifties,  at  San  Diego  and 
other  places,  notably  at  Monterey,  and  they  continued  in 
business  for  many  years  and  were  very  successful.  The  business 
began  to  assume  importance  here  in  1853.    In  February,  1858,  the 


THE  WHALING  TRADE  111 

company  of  whaleiuen  at  La  Playa  had  killed  "about  a  dozon" 
whales  since  they  connnenced  operations,  "only  five  of  which 
they  have  been  able  to  get  into  the  port."  These  five  yielded 
150  barrels  of  oil,  worth  about  $2,000.  Editor  Ames  expressed 
the  opinion  that  if  some  means  could  be  devised  to  prevent  the 
whales  from  sinking,  a  good  business  could  be  done  in  catching 
them  within  ten  miles  of  the  harboi'.  A  little  later,  they  cap- 
tured five  in  as  many  days,  each  of  which  produced  from  thirty- 
five  to  forty  barrels  of  oil.  By  18G8  the  business  had  grown  so 
that  there  were  two  companies  with  twenty  men  at  work  in  the 
boats  and  a  dozen  rendering  the  oil,  and  it  had  become  a  favorite 
diversion  of  San  Diegans  to  go  out  to  the  lighthouse  and  watch 
the  chase. 

In  the  season  of  1870-1,  the  yield  of  oil  was  21,888  gallons, 
and  in  1871-2  it  was  estimated  at  55,000  gallons  and  two  hun- 
dred pounds  of  whalebone  were  collected.  In  1873-4,  21,600 
gallons,  and  in  1874-5  four  hundred  barrels  of  oil  were  produced. 
As  late  as  1886,  three  hundred  barrels  of  oil  were  made  and 
about  a  thousand  pounds  of  whalebone  gathered.  In  the  eighties 
the  business  was  declining,  however,  and  soon  became  unprofit- 
able and  was  abandoned. 

The  trying-works  were  on  Ballast  Point.  The  captured  whales 
were  towed  in  and  cut  up  and  the  flesh  thrown  into  two  large 
iron  pots,  having  a  capacity  of  150  gallons  each.  At  each  pot 
was  stationed  a  man  with  a  large  strainer,  whose  business  it  was 
to  fish  out  the  pieces  of  blubber  as  fast  as  they  became  suffi- 
ciently browned.  These  pieces  were  then  pressed  to  extract  the 
oil,  after  which  the  refuse  was  used  for  fuel.  It  seems  to  have 
burned  very  well,  but  made  "a  villainous  stench."  The  oil  was 
ladled  into  casks  and  when  cool  was  stored  awaiting  shipment. 

The  method  of  killing  the  whales  was  by  a  bomb  lance  from 
small  boats.  At  first  the  work  seems  to  have  been  unskillfully 
done,  but  in  later  years  it  was  carried  to  great  perfection.  The 
whales  were  of  the  gray  species.  No  reliable  statistics  can  be 
given  as  to  the  total  (Mitput,  but  it  ran  well  into  the  thousands  of 
barrels  and  was  an  important  article  of  export.  Among  the 
older  citizens  of  San  Diego  are  several  who  came  here  to  engage 
in  this  chase,  and  followed  it  for  many  years.  The  only  remains 
now  left  of  this  interesting  period  are  the  vertebrae  of  whales 
which  are  used  as  ornaments  and  may  still  be  seen  in  many  San 
Diego  dooryards.  The  Society  of  Natural  History  has  also  col- 
lected some  valuable  relics,  which  are  preserved  in  the  public 
library  building. 

Such  were  some  of  the  principal  commercial  features  affect- 
ing the  early  life  of  the  place. 


112  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

LIST   OF  LAND   GEANTS. 

Following  js  a  list  of  ranchos  of  San  Diego  County,  showing  tue 
number  of  acres  in  each  rancho,  names  of  grantees,  and  date  each  grant 
was  confirmed.  The  names  of  the  grantees  do  not  represent  the  pres- 
ent proprietors,  the  ownership  having  changed,  in  many  cases,  since  the 
confirmation  of   the   grant: 

Name  of  Eancho.                Owner.                    Grant   Confirmed.  Acres. 

Santa    Margarita    and 

Las    Flores    Pio    &   Andres  Pico 89,742.93 

Ex-Mission      of      San 

Diego     Santiago    Argiiello     1846  58,208.00 

San  Jacinto  Nuevo Miguel    de   Pedrorena    1846  48,823.67 

El   Cajon    Maria     Autonia     Estudillo     de 

Pedrorena     48,799.34 

Santa  Eosa    Juan    Moreno Oct.    10,    1872  47,815.10 

San   Jacinto    Viejo Jose    Ant.    Estudillo 1846  35,504.00 

Cuyamaca     Agustin    Olvera     35,501.32 

La    Nacion    (National 

Eancho)    .John    Forster Aug.    3,    1858  26,631.94 

San     Jose     del     Valle 

(Warner's   Eanch)     ..J.    J.    Warner 1846  26,629.88 

Pauba    Luis   Vigues Jan.    19,    1860  26,597.96 

Temecula     Luis   Yignes Jan.    18,    1860  26,608.94 

Sobrante    de    San    Ja-      Miguel    de   Pedrorena    and   Eo- 

cinto     sario    E.    de    Aguirro 22,195.00 

San   Bernardo    .lose    Francisco    Snook 17,763.07 

Santa   Ysabel    Jose  Joaquin  Ortega  et  aL.May  4,  1872  17,719.40 

Santa     Maria      (Valle 

de   Pamo)     .lose  Joaquin  Ortega  et  al.  July  30, 1872  17,708.85 

San   Vicente    Juan   Lopez    '. 1846  13,539.96 

La   Laguna    Abel    Stearns Sept.    3,    1872  13,338.80 

Monserrate     Ysidro  Maria  Alvarado..July  17,  1872  13,322.90 

Valle   de  las   Viejas Eamon    &    Leandro    Osuna! 1846  13,314.00 

Agua  Hedionda    '. ,Tuan    Maria    Matron 13,311.01 

Pauma     .lose   Ant.    Serrano,   Jose   Agui- 

lar,  &  Bias  Aguilar.  .Aug.  29,   1871  13,309.60 

Guejito    George   W.   Hamley May   24,   1866  13,298.59 

Eineon  del  Diablo Heirs  of  Juan  Bautista  Alvarado 

May    3,    1872  12,653.77 

San    Felipe    Juan   Forster Aug.   6,   1866  9,972.08 

San    Marcos    Jose   Maria    Alvarado 8,978.29 

Jamacha Apolinaria    Lnreu'^ana     8,881.16 

Jamul Pin   Pico    8,876.00 

La    Jolla    8,872.00 

San   Dieguito    .Tuan    Maria    Osuna 8,824.71 

Penasquitas   Francisco  Maria  Euiz  &  Fran- 
cisco   M.    Alvarado 8,486.01 

Otay    Magdalena   Estudillo   et   al 1846  6,557.98 

Tecate     Juan    Bandini    4,439.00 

Janal    Victoria    Dominguez.  .  .June    30,    1872  4,436.00 

Los    Encinitos    Andres  Ybarra.. April   18,  1871  4,431.03 

Island      or     Peninsula      Archibald     C.    Peachv    &    Wil- 

of  San  Diego liani   H.    Aspinwall.  .June    11,    1869  4,18.5.46 

Gnajome    Andres   «S:   Jose   Manuel    (Indians)...  2,219.41 

Buena  Vista    Felipe    (an   Indian) 2,219.08 


LIST  OF  LAND  GRANTS  113 

Potrero      San      .)  u  a  n 

Capistrano     .  .        1,167.74 

El      Cai'iso      aud      La 

Cienega     1,167.00 

Ex-Mission     of     S  a  n 

Luis  Ecy    Bisliop  J.  S.  Alemany,  March  10,  1865  53.3!) 

Ex-Mission      of      San 

Diego     Bishop   Alemaiiy May   23,   1862  22.21 


CIIAPTEK  TTT 


POLITICAL   LIFE   IN   MEXICAN   DAYS 

ll/niOUlxH  twenty-three  Govenioi's — ten  Span- 
ish and  thirteen  Mexican — ruled  California 
Aj^YI  before  the  days  of  American  dominion,  only 
3ai  ^^^*^*  *'^*  ^^^^^^  impressed  themselves  upon  the 
bwl  history  of  Sau  Diego.  Crovernor  Echeandia 
loved  the  place  so  well  that  he  virtually  made 
it  the  capital  during-  his  administration,  and 
Governor  Pico  was  himself  a  San  Diegan  in 
whom  his  neighbors  felt  considerable  pride.  Several  of  the  oth- 
ers appeared  for  a  moment  upon  the  stage  of  picturesque  local 
life,  but  few  exerted  any  influence  upon  the  course  of  events  in 
this  neighborhood.  It  must  be  rememl)ered  that  for  sixty-six 
years  San  Diego  lived  under  military  rule  and  that  it  was  not 
until  the  estal)lishment  of  the  pueblo  in  1835  that  civil  govern- 
ment became  dominant.  Less  than  a  dozen  years  then  remained 
to  the  Mexican  power,  ])ut  this  brief  period  was  crowded  with 
interesting  political  episodes.  As  we  study  the  record,  we  are 
strongly , reminded  that  the  men  of  that  time  were  of  the  same 
race  as  those  who  have  made  the  turbulent  politics  of  Central 
and  South  American  states,  for  there  is  the  same  story  of  mimic 
wars  and  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  ambitious  rulers.  There  were  but 
few  people  to  govern,  but  relatively  many  who  desired  to  govern 
them,  and  the  energies  which  Americans  have  given  to  the  devel- 
opment of  natural  resources  the  Mexicans  preferred  to  spend  on 
the  stormy  field  of  politics. 

When  the  Spanish  flag  went  down,  and  gave  place  to  the  em- 
blem of  Mexico,  on  April  20,  1822,  the  people  of  San  Diego 
submitted  gracefully,  but  without  enthusiasm.  Only  far  echoes 
of  the  revolutionary  struggle  had  reached  them  during  the  pre- 
vious decade  and  their  sympathies  clung  fondly  to  the  Spanish 
tradition  of  the  country.  It  is  related  that  there  was  no  flag- 
stafip  upon  which  to  hoist  the  new  colors;  that  the  soldiers  grum- 
bled because  there  was  no  distribution  of  money;  and  that  the 
next  day  they  cut  oi¥  their  queues  as  an  expression  of  their  dis- 
gust. In  December,  the  imperial  commissioner,  charged  with  the 
change  of  government  in  T"^pper  California,  stopped  in  San  Diego 
for  a  week  on  his  way  home,  but  there  is  nothing  to  show  that 
he  transacted  any  business  at  this  place.     He  gambled  with  a 


ARRIVAL  OF  ECHEANDIA 


115 


rollicking  priest,  named  Fernandez,  (|narreled  with  Santiago 
Argiiello  about  it,  and  de])arted  in  an  nnliappy  frame  of  mind. 
It  was  in  1825  that  General  Jose  Maria  Ft^heandia,  who 
was  both  political  chief  and  military  commandant  of  Upper 
and  Lower  California,  arrived  with  a  detachment  of  soldiers 
and  a   number  of  subordinates  and  established  himself  at  the 


PIO   PICO 

A  notable  San  Diego  politician  and  last  Mexican  g-overnor  of  California 


Presidio.  This  was  after  the  fall  of  the  Emperor  Iturbide  and 
at  the  very  outset  of  the  effort  to  establish  republican  institu- 
tions. The  task  he  had  undertaken  was  by  no  means  easy.  The 
troops  were  destitute  and  mutinous ;  the  old  Spanish  population 
was  still  unfriendly  to  the  new  order  of  things,  and  the  region 
lacked  caj^ital  and  population  and  was  far  from  prosperous. 

Late  in  1826,  the  governor  ordered  the  election  of  five  repre- 
sentatives to  meet  in  Sau  Diego  for  the  purpose  of  choosing 
deputies  charged  with  the  duty  of  reorganizing  the  territorial 
assembly,  as  well  as  to  select  a  member  of  the  national  congress. 
These  representatives  met  in  San  Diego  in  Febniary,  1827. 
They  were  Francisco  de  Haro.  for  San  Francisco:  Estevan 
Munras,  for  Monterey :  Carlos  A.  Carrillo.  for  Santa  Barbara; 


116  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Vieeiite  Sanchez,  for  Los  Angeles;  and  Angustin  V.  Zamoraiio, 
for  San  Diego.  They  chose  Pablo  de  Sola  as  congressman,  but 
doubts  rose  as  to  his  eligibility-  and  the  vote  was  therefore  recon- 
sidered and  Captain  Jose  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega  chosen,  instead, 
with  Gervasio  Argiiello  as  substitute.  De  la  Guerra  y  Noriega 
was  a  Spaniard,  although  he  had  left  Spain  when  quite  small. 
But  the  Mexican  prejudice  against  Spaniards  at  that  time  was  so 
great  that,  upon  his  arrival  in  Mexico,  he  was  not  only  refused 
admission  to  the  national  assembly,  but  forced  to  hurry  home  in 
order  to  avoid  serious  trouble.  Thus  ungraciously  did  Mexico 
receive  the  first  representative  to  the  national  assembly  elected 
in  Upper  California.  Argiiello,  the  substitute,  then  took  the 
seat  and  served  out  the  term,  in  1827-8.  The  San  Diego 
assembly  also  chose  seven  members  and  three  substitutes  for 
the  assembly  which  later  convened  at  ^fonterey. 

Echeandia's  choice  of  San  Diego  as  his  capital  w-as  not 
popular  with  the  people  of  the  North.  His  attempt  to  hold  a 
meeting  of  the  assembly  here  in  the  spring  of  1827  was  barren 
of  results.  The  members  met,  protested  that  San  Diego  was 
not  conveniently  situated  for  their  purpose,  and  adjourned. 
In  Octolier  of  the  same  year  they  again  met  here,  and  chose  four 
new  members.  Another  futile  session  of  the  body  was  held  at 
San  Diego  in  January,  1829.  Then  the  Governor  issued  a 
summons  for  a  meeting  at  Monterey,  but  his  call  was  ignored. 

Early  in  November  of  this  year,  from  causes  arising  largely 
out  of  the  prevailing  destitution  and  discontent  of  the  military, 
the  Solis  insurrection  l)roke  out  at  Monterey.  Echeandia  ap- 
pears to  have  acted  Avith  vigor  and  moderation.  He  first  con- 
vened a  council  of  seven  officers,  whom  he  asked  for  a  frank 
criticism  of  his  administration.  Fortified  by  their  unanimous 
approval,  and  assured  of  the  support  of  the  inhabitants  of  San 
Diego,  he  set  about  his  preparations  for  a  campaign.  Alfred 
Robinson  was  here  at  the  time  and  gives  some  description  of 
the  bustle  of  preparation.  Guns  were  repaired,  swords  sharp- 
ened, and  lances  manufactured.  The  troops  departed  on  De- 
cember 1,  with  the  governor  at  their  head,  and  it  was  several 
weeks  before  news  of  his  complete  success,  after  an  opera  houffe 
campaign  at  Santa  Barbara  and  Monterey,  reached  San  Diego. 

Echeandia  was  disturbed  no  more  l)y  armed  revolts,  but 
encountered  much  opposition  in  his  attempts  to  carry  out  the 
orders  of  the  Mexican  government  directed  against  the  Spanish 
population.  A  number  of  laws  relative  to  the  expulsion  of  all 
Spaniards  who  should  refuse  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  was 
passed,  debarring  them  from  office  or  employment  until  Spain 
should  recognize  the  independence  of  Mexico.  It  was  undoubt- 
edly intended  that  he  should  enforce  these  regulations  and 
expel   recalcitrants   from   the   country,   but   he   chose   to   put   a 


THE  SOLIS  REBELLION  117 

more  liberal  iiilerprelat  iuii  upon  his  iiislrLu^lion.s.  lie  pro- 
claimed the  laws  and  ])id)lished  lists  o±'  resident  Spaniards  re- 
quired to  take  the  oath,  but  does  not  appear  to  have  used  his 
power  to  persecute  those  who  i-efused.  Some  of  the  missionaries 
surreptitiously  lied  the  eountr\-,  and  others  demanded  passports 
and  left  openly,  rather  than  sulmiit.  It  ai)pears  that  Echeandia 
regarded  the  presence  of  these  stubborn  missionaries  as  undesir- 
able, and  even  went  so  far  as  to  ship  Father  ]\Tartinez,  of  San 
Luis  Obispo,  out  of  the  countr\-,  after  a  council  of  war.  on  a 
charge  of  having  given  aid  and  comfort  to  the  rebels  in  the 
Solis  insurrection.  Tie  was  also  desirous  of  carrying  out  the 
wishes  of  his  superiors  with  regard  to  the  seeulai'ization  of  the 
missions,  and  discussed  plans  to  that  end,  but  no  delinite  steps 
were  taken  during  his  administration.  He  did,  however,  issue 
a  decree  of  partial  emancipation  of  the  neophytes,  permitting 
such  as  had  been  Christians  from  childhood  or  for  fifteen  years, 
who  were  married  or  at  least  not  minoi-s.  and  who  had  some 
means  of  livelihood,  to  leave  the  missions. 

Trade  was  brisk  on  the  coast  during  Echeandia's  adminis- 
tration, for  it  was  a  time  when  the  hide  and  tallow  business 
Avas  rapidly  growing  in  importance.  In  1828,  the  revenue  col- 
lected at  San  Diego  was  $34,000 — nearly  six  times  that  at  San 
Francisco.  In  July  of  that  year,  Captain  John  Bradshaw,  of 
the  Franklin,  anchored  in  San  Diego  Bay  after  doing  consider- 
able trading  on  the  Lower  California  coast.  A  warning  had 
come  from  Loreto,  and  he  was  accused  of  having  been  engaged 
in  smuggling,  and  other  ofifenses,  although  his  supercargo,  Rufus 
Perkins,  had  been  allowed  to  travel  overland  from  mission  to 
mission.  Bradshaw  was  ordered  to  deposit  his  cargo  in  the 
warehouse  and  await  the  investigation  of  these  charges.  He 
promised  compliance,  but  returned  to  his  ship  and,  once  on 
board,  refused  to  obey  any  orders  given  him  and  changed  his 
anchorage  to  a  point  near  the  harbor  entrance.  The  governor 
prepared  to  place  a  guard  on  the  ship  and  applied  to  a  French 
captain  then  in  the  port,  Duhaut-Cilly,  for  the  loan  of  a  boat. 
The  boat  was  loaned,  but  Bradshaw  was  also  warned,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th  of  July  he  cut  his  cable  and  ran  out  of  the 
harbor,  passing  the  fort,  although  a  shower  of  cannon  balls 
was  hurled  after  him.  The  Frenchman  met  Captain  Bradshaw, 
later,  at  the  Islands,  where  he  learned  that  his  hull  had  been 
perforated,  rigging  damaged,  and  the  gallant  capt;iin  lii nisei f 
wounded. 

The  Hawaiian  brig  Karimol-o  Avas  also  in  ti-ouble  at  San 
Diego,  late  in  the  fall.  The  records  seem  to  make  it  clear  that 
she  was  engaged  in  contraband  trade,  having  a  rendezvous  on 
Catalina  Island.  Her  sails  were  seized  and- Santiago  Argiiello 
was  sent  to  the  island  to  investigate  and  brnig  over  the  goods. 


118  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

In  the  same  year,  an  American  named  Lang,  with  two  sailors 
and  two  Kanakas,  was  arrested  in  a  lioat  near  Todos  Santos. 
The  prisoners  told  a  stoi'v  about  coming  from  the  Sandwich 
Islands  to  settle  in  California;  but  as  Lang's  effects  included 
a  barrel-organ  and  two  trunks  of  dry  goods,  they  were  confiscated 
and  sold.  Lang  had  previously  been  at  San  Diego  and  confided 
to  a  countryman  that  he  was  engaged  in  smuggling.  These  and 
other  irregularities  led  to  the  closing  of  the  way  ports  to  foreign 
vessels  and  caused  considerable  inconvenience  to  legitimate  trad- 
ing ships. 

In  December,  1830,  the  rule  of  Eeheandia  ended  with  the 
arrival  of  Colonel   Manuel  Victoria,   the  newly-appointed  gov- 


'•'^_. 

THE   AQUIRRE   HOUSE,    OLD   TOWN 
Later  the  parsonage  owned  by  Father  Ubach 

ernor.  at  San  Diego.  Victoria  proceeded  north.  \\  here  the 
transfer  of  office  was  made.  With  his  coming  the  jurisdiction 
of  L'pper  and  Lower  California  was  divided  and  the  governor's 
residence  again  removed  to  ^Monterey.  The  new  governor  was 
soon  embroiled  with  his  deputies  in  a  fierce  quarrel.  He  refused 
to  convene  the  assembly,  even  when  petitioned  to  do  so  by  the 
members,  and  a  bitter  wrangle  ensued  in  which  Juan  Bandini 
of  San  Diego,  then  substitute  congressman  for  L'pper  California, 
and  Pio  Pico,  senior  vocal  of  the  assembly  from  the  same  place, 
were  involved,  and  incurred  the  governor's  displeasure.  It  was 
claimed  that  Victoria  was  setting  up  a  military  dictatorship  and 
ovei'riding  the  popular  will.  He  was  severe  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  and  shocked  the  Californians  by  his  strict 
enforcement  of  the  law's  penalties.  He  also  (juarrelled  with 
many  prominent  men  and  sent  a  number  of  them  into  exile. 

In    November.    1831,    Abel    Stearns,    a   naturalized    Mexican 
citizen,  and  .fose  Antoiiio  Carrillo,  both   of  whom  Avore  among 


FLIGHT  OF  VICTORIA  119 

the  uicii  banished  hy  Victoria,  but  neither  of  whom  had  gone 
farther  than  the  frontier,  secretly  met  in  San  Diego  with  Juan 
Bandiui  and  Pio  Pico,  and  laid  plans  for  a  revolt.  Pico. 
Bandini,  and  Carrillo  set  out  with  fourteen  men  besides  them- 
selves, seventeen  in  all,  to  seize  the  post.  Bandini  went  to  the 
house  of  Captain  Argiiello,  where  he  found  that  officer  and 
Lieutenant  Valle  playing  cards,  lie  presented  tirst  an  apoloay 
and  then  a  pair  of  pistols,  and  marched  the  two  officers  off  to 
prison,  where  they  found  Commandant  Portilla  had  preceded 
them.  The  troops  gave  no  trouble.  Echcandia  was  persuaded 
to  liead  the  movement,  and  soon  all  San  Diego  parties  were 
agreed  to  make  it  unanimous.  A  long  pronunciamento  was 
drawn  up,  which  Juan  Bandini  is  credited  with  having  written. 
Portilla  was  appointed  commander,  a  force  was  mustered  and 
marched  northward  and  soon  took  possession  of  Los  Angeles. 
Victoria  had  placed  implicit  confidence  in  Portilla,  who  had 
given  him  notice  of  the  movement  and  promised  to  aid  in  its 
suppression. 

The  governor  had  left  Monterey  before  learning  of  the  revolt, 
and  even  upon  his  arrival  at  Santa  Barbara  seems  to  have  re- 
ceived no  accurate  information  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
trouble.  He  started  for  Los  Angeles  with  about  thirty  men, 
full  of  confidence  in  his  ability  to  restore  order  without  delay, 
and  spent  the  night  at  San  Fernando  Mission.  Next  day,  the 
6th  of  December,  Portilla  moved  out  toward  Cahuenga  with 
about  two  hundred  men,  and  was  met  by  Victoria  with  his  little 
band  of  thirty.  A  war  of  words  ensued,  followed  by  a  brief 
conflict  in  which  two  men  were  killed,  and  then  p]cheandia*s 
men  fled.  But  Victoria,  who  had  shown  great  personal  bravery, 
was  badlj'  wounded  and  a  few  days  later  he  surrendered  to 
Echeandia  and  agreed  to  leave  the  country.  This  promise  he 
kept,  arriving  in  San  Diego  on  the  27th  and  going  at  once  on 
board  the  PocaJiontas,  with  the  Captain  of  which  vessel  Juan 
Bandini  had  made  a  contract  to  transport  the  exile  to  Mazatlan 
for  $l.nOO,  silver,  in  advance. 

On  the  way  down  the  coast.  Victoria  had  spent  some  days  at 
San  Luis  Key,  and  the  venerable  founder  of  that  ^lission, 
Father  Antonio  Peyri,  decided  to  leave  the  country  with  him. 
He  was  among  the  Spanish  friars  who  had  suffered  persecution 
under  Echeandia.  and  now  quit  the  country  rather  than  submit 
further.  The  ship  sailed  on  the  17th  of  January,  1832,  and 
Echeandia  remained  acting  governor  until  the  meeting  of  the 
assembly  at  Los  Angeles.  Pio  Pico  was  then  chosen  governor, 
in  accordance  with  the  plan  drawn  up  at  San  Diego,  but  the 
officials  of  the  pueblo  of  Los  Angeles  refused  to  recognize  him 
and  Echeandia.  having  paid  no  attention  to  the  notice  of  his 
election,  now  thought  it  opportune  to  repudiate  it  and  declared 


120 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


Pico  incompeteut  aiul  his  election  illegal.  Pico  was  goveriioi 
twenty  days,  and  then  the  matter  was  referred  to  the  national 
government,  and  in  the  meantime  Echeandia  continued  to  act. 
A  new  rebellion  now  broke  ont  at  Monterey,  headed  by  Cap- 
tain Zamorano,  in  which  quite  a  number  of  foreign  residents 
were  involved.  After  a  wordy  warfare,  the  deputies  met  at 
San  Diego  in  ^Nlareli  at  Echeandia  "s  call,  to  consider  the  state  of 
the  country.  The  net  result  of  this  meeting  seems  to  have  been 
a  circular  letter  to  the  governing  bodies  of  the  pueblos  asking 
them  to  preserve  order,  to  recognize  the  assembly,  and  to  dis- 


AUGUSTIN   v.    ZAMORANO 
For  many  years  prominent  in  Spanish  politics  in  San  Diego. 


regard  the  junta  of  the  north.  The  disalt'ection  continued  to 
spread,  however,  and  in  a  short  time  the  hostile  parties  were 
arming  and  drilling  recruits  for  war.  The  neophytes  at  San 
Luis  Key  were  adherents  of  Echeandia.  and  came  into  camp 
in  large  numbers.  In  April  he  marched  north  with  about  a 
thousand  Indians,  but  a  truce  was  arranged  by  which  the 
political  jurisdiction  was  divided  between  the  two  leaders  and 
the  assembly  left  with  no  power  whatever. 

On  May  15,  1832.  the  assembly  again  met  at  San  Diego  and 
reviewed  the  exciting  events  of  the  vear  in  an  address  to  the 


THE  HIJAR  COLONY  121 

president  of  the  repTiblic,  especially  condemning  Zamovano. 
In  the  spring  of  1832,  General  Jose  Figneroa  was  appointed 
governor,  but  he  had  an  adventurous  trip  up  the  coast  and  did 
not  reach  Monterey  until  the  middle  of  January,  1833.  Witli 
his  assumption  of  office.  San  Diego  ceased  to  figure  as  the 
political  headquarters  of  Upper  California.  Echeandia  wel- 
comed the  new  governor  and  laid  down  the  cares  of  office, 
with  joy.  He  gave  Figueroa  valuable  aid  in  the  early  days  of 
his  administration,  but  was  required  to  report  to  ^Mexico,  and 
sailed  from  San  Diego  jMay  14,  1833,  and  never  returned. 
He  lived  for  nearly  forty  years  longer  in  Mexico,  supporting 
himself  by  his  profession  of  civil  engineer. 

The  estimates  of  his  public  services  as  well  as  of  his  character, 
vary  with  the  point  of  view  of  the  writers.  As  an  administrator 
he  was  inefficient,  but  personally  he  was  both  dignified  and 
affable.  The  early  American  tradere  regarded  him  as  a  man  of 
undecided  character,  who  tried  to  please  everybody ;  but  he 
seems  to  have  had  strong  republican  views  which  he  stubbornly 
strove  to  carry  out  in  his  administration.  He  is  described  as  a 
tall,  gaunt  personage,  full  of  true  Spanish  dignity. 

San  Diego  was  never  the  capital  of  Upper  California  in  the 
proper  sense  of  the  term.  The  political  events  here  during  the 
thirties  were  due  simply  to  the  fact  that  Governor  Echeandia 
preferred  it  as  a  residence  and  chose  to  order  the  assembly  to 
meet  here.  It  was.  however,  for  a  few  years  during  and 
following  Echeandia 's  administration,  a  hotbed  of  political 
activity. 

In  1831.  the  first  revolution,  which  ended  in  the  expulsion 
of  Victoria,  began  here,  as  related.  One  cause  of  this  political 
activitj^  seems  to  have  been  a  local  jealousy  between  the  north- 
ern and  southern  establishments.  The  people  of  San  Diego 
naturally  desired  a  continuance  of  the  arrangement  by  which 
their  town  served  as  the  capital,  and  many  of  the  disturbances 
of  the  time  arose  over  such  questions  as  the  maintenance  of  a 
custom  house  at  the  port.  Monterey  was  offended  by  Echeandia 's 
action,  as  well  as  by  the  choice  of  congressional  representatives 
from  the  south.  San  Diego  was  gratified  by  the  selection  of 
Pio  Pico  as  Governor  in  1832  and  again  in  1845. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  1834.  the  brig  Natalie  arrived  at  San 
Diego,  having  on  board  Juan  Bandini  and  Seiior  Hijar.  with  a 
portion  of  the  political  colony  sent  by  the"  Vice-President  of  the 
Mexican  republic,  Gomez  Farias.  Bandini  had  gone  south  in 
May,  in  time  to  fall  in  with  the  plans  of  Farias  and  Hijar.  The 
failure  of  the  enterprise  is  a  matter  of  history,  but  does  not 
belong  peculiarly  to  San  Diego;  onr  interest  in  it  relates  to  the 
brief  entertainment  of  the  party  here,  and  In  the  disappointment 


122 


HISTORY   OF   SAN    DIEGO 


of  Baiidini  at  tlie  outcome.     None  of  liis  larger  political  ambi- 
tions, of  which  he  had  many,  were  ever  realized. 

The  yatalie  is  said  to  have  been  the  vessel  in  which  Napoleon 
made  his  escape  from  the  island  of  Elba.  She  Avas  afterward 
wrecked  by  being  driven  on  the  beach  at  Monterey  in  a  storm, 
Decem])er  21,  1831,  and  went  to  pieces.  The  passengers  in 
Hijar's  colony  numbered  between  130  and  140.  For  two  days 
the  families  were  sh(^ltered  in  the  hide  houses  at  La  Playa,  and 
fed  by  the  owners  of  the  hide  houses.  Thev  were  detained  in 
quarantine  for  fear  of  measles,  and  a  luimber  died  and  were 
buried  at  the  ]\Iission.     ITi.jar  and  his  fi-iends  W(»re  entertained 


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THE  SERRANO  HOUSE,  OLD  TOWN 


by  Bandini,  and  the  others  wi^re  scattered  among  the  residents 
of  the  town  and  entertained  free  of  cost. 

The  colonists  Avere  of  nearly  every  occupation  except  those 
which  the  country  needed.  There  were  goldsmiths,  l)lacksmiths, 
carpenters,  shoemakers,  tailoi's,  painters,  printers.  nmsicians„ 
and  othei-  artists  and  mechanics,  but  not  a  single  agricultur- 
ist. ]\Iost  of  them  were  finally  shipped  back  to  Mexico,  but  a 
few  settled  and  remained  at  San  Luis  Key  and  places  farther 
north. 

The  ainials  of  the  Presidio  throughout  these  years  are  scanty, 
and  merely  a  story  of  progressive  decay.  In  182G  a  military 
commission  reported  the  presidial  builclings  in  a  "deploral)ly 
ruinous  condition."  and  estimated  the  cost  of  repairs  at  $40,000. 
Fort  Ouijarros,  also,  needed  repairs  to  the  value  of  $10,000.  It 
does  not  appear  that  anything  was  done  at  this  time,  but  in  1828 
the  battery  was  repaired. 

In  October  of  this  year,  the  soldiers  sent  a  committee  of  five 
to  the  commandant  to  complain  of  hunger  and  lack  of  clothing 


RETIREMENT  OF  VETERANS  123 

and  demand  a  i)ayment  on  account  of  back  pay.  The  connnaiid- 
ant  began  to  put  them  in  irons,  but  the  threats  of  their  comrades 
compelled  him  to  desist.  They  appealed  to  the  General,  who 
promised  them  justice,  which  he  soon  after  administered — by 
distrilmting  the  tive  soldiers  among  other  presidios.  In  May, 
1830,  a  civilian  cut  a  soldier  with  a  knife  and  took  sanctuary  in 
the  church,  raising  an  interesting  question  of  the  right  of  asy- 
lum.    He  was  sentenced  to  eight  years'  labor  on  the  chain-gang. 

The  ranks  of  the  presidial  company  were  not  kept  fiUl.  and 
by  1830  the  total  force  had  dwindled  to  120  men.  In  this  year 
the  armament  consisted  of  13  cannon,  8  of  which  were  brass  and 
5  of  iron ;  3  eight-pounders,  7  six-pounders,  and  3  four-pounders. 
The  fort  and  po^^der  magazines  were  of  stone,  situated  close 
under  the  hill  at  Ballast  Point.  A  reservoir  of  stone  and  mor- 
tar was  constructed  near  the  fort,  but  the  water  soon  broke  it. 
The  ruins  were  visible  for  many  years  after.  Nothing  whatever 
noAV  remains  of  the  Spanish  works  on  Ballast  Point.  The  last 
traces  were  obliterated  in  the  construction  of  the  modern  forti- 
fications on  the  spot,  in  recent  years. 

A  petty  uprising  of  the  local  military  force  in  1833  is  of  some 
interest.  A  private  of  the  presidial  company  of  Loreto,  named 
Antonio  Alipas.  was  placed  under  arrest  and  confined  in  the 
guard-house.  On  the  26th  day  of  March,  Corporal  Inocensio 
Arballo.  a  comrade  of  Alipas 's,  assembled  a  squad  of  seven  sol- 
diers and,  all  armed  and  mounted,  rode  up  and  demanded  the 
release  of  the  prisoner.  The  sergeant  of  the  guard  refusing  this 
demand,  the  soldiers  broke  into  the  guard-house,  released  Alipas, 
and  carried  him  off.  This  was  an  exceptional  occurrence,  and 
anything  resembling  vigilante  proceedings  was  rare,  among 
either  the  civil  or  military  population.  The  soldiers  were  harshly 
treated,  but  obedience  was  thoroughly  taught. 

The  Spanish  military  system  was  continued  under  Mexican 
rule.  One  of  its  admirable  features  was  a  provision  foi-  retir- 
ing veterans  and  invalids  on  pensions.  Privates  who  had  served 
for  thirty  years  could  retire  on  half  pay  with  the  honorary  rank 
of  sub-lieutenant,  and  those  who  had  served  forty  years,  with 
the  rank  of  full  lieutenant,  with  the  pT'i\-ilege  of  wearing  a  uni- 
form. The  conditions  seem  hard,  but  many  of  the  men,  includ- 
ing some  of  the  early  company  of  Catalonian  volunteers,  ful- 
filled them  and  lived  to  end  their  days  in  peaceful  industry. 
Some  of  the  invalids  remained  at  the  Presidio,  pei-forming  such 
service  as  they  were  able,  and  were  also  permitted  to  settle  out- 
side the  Presidio  walls.  ^Mention  has  been  made  of  the  fact  that 
all  soldiers  had  a  little  time  of  their  own;  and  thus,  with  the 
pressure  of  slowly  increasing  numbers  and  hard-won  knowledge 
of  correct  methods  of  agriculture,  the  Spanish  soldiei-s  began  to 


&■ 


124 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


ciiltivate  successfnlly  their  little  garden  plots  at  the  foot  of  Pre- 
sidio Hill. 

The  pueblo  of  San  Diego  ^vas  organized  ]»y  an  election  of  the 
necessary  (officials  on  Deeemher  21.  1834.  These  officials  con- 
sisted of  an  ahalcJr.  or  mayor,  for  which  the  successful  candi- 
date^  was  Juan   Alarla   Osufia,  who  was  elected  over  Pio  Pico; 


CAPT.    HENRY   D.    FITCH 

San  Diego's  first  merchant,  who  was  also  very  prominent  in  the  politi- 
cal life  of  the  town. 


a  first  nijidoi'.  (n-  aldciiiiaii.  -Juan  Bautista  Alvarado ;  a  second 
rcgidor,   Juan    .Maria    ]\larron ;    and    a    syndico   procurador,   or 
town  attorney,  Heury  D.  Fitch.     Thirteen  votes  in  all  were  cast, 
and  the  officers  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  their  duties  on 
the  fii-st  day  of  January,   1S35,  which  marks  the  beginning  of 


UNSETTLED  GOVERNMENT  125 

civil    iiilc.      They   constituted   the   lirst  ayuntamiento,   or   town 
council. 

The  uew  town  was  a-OTerned  by  its  own  council  for  only  three 
years.  The  country  was  not  prosperous  and  population  decreased 
until,  in  1838,  there  were  not  enough  people  to  entitle  it  to  a 
council,  the  number  required  being  five  hundred.  Accordingly, 
from  the  1st  of  January,  1838,  until  the  Mexican  War,  San 
Diego  was  part  of  the  sub-prefecture  of  Los  Angeles  and  gov- 
erned hy  judges  appointed  annually  by  the  governor.  Jose 
Antonio  Estudillo  was  the  first  judge,  or  juez  de  paz. 

In  183()  a  tax  was  imposed  on  the  hide-salting  establishments 
of  foreigners,  as  had  been  done  before  in  1834. 

In  this  year,  soon  after  a  revolution  at  Monterey,  as  a  result 
of  which  Governor  Guiterrez  had  been  banished  and  Juan  B. 
Alvarado  selected  as  governor  in  his  place.  San  Diego  was  again 
drawn  actively  into  the  political  affairs  of  the  time.  There  was 
considerable  local  dissatisfaction  with  the  course  of  events,  and 
Juan  Bandini  and  Santiago  E.  Argiiello  were  sent  to  Los  Angeles 
and  Santa  Barbara  as  commissioners  to  consult  with  the  coun- 
cils of  those  towns  upon  the  situation.  It  was  decided  to  insist 
upon  the  carrjdng  out  of  a  law  alreadj^  upon  the  books  mak- 
ing Los  Angeles  the  capital,  to  invite  the  co-operation  of 
Los  Angeles  and  Santa  Barbara,  and  a  provisional  political  chief 
was  to  be  selected  to  act  until  the  national  laws  siiould  be  again 
in  force.  Provision  for  the  military  support  of  the  movement 
was  also  anticipated.  The  report  of  the  commissioners  was  ap- 
proved ui)on  their  return,  but  obstacles  to  the  program  soon 
began  to  appear.  The  soldiers  showed  a  disposition  to  make  the 
occasion  a  pretext  for  demanding  their  arrears  of  pay.  The 
Santa  Barbara  council,  too,  failed  to  endorse  the  plan  in  its 
entirety,  and  proposed  one  of  its  own.  It  thei-efore  aj^peared 
that  nothing  could  be  done,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  as  the 
net  result,  the  Los  Angeles  council  awarded  the  San  Diegans  a 
vote  of  thanks.  Early  in  1837,  new  town  councils  were  elected, 
and  that  of  Los  Angeles  evolved  a  new  ])lan  wliich  was  indorsed 
by  the  restless  San  Diego  politicians. 

Governor  Alvarado  left  Monterey  Avith  an  army  of  eighty-five 
Californians  and  foreigners,  about  Christmas.  At  Santa  Bar- 
bara he  was  kindly  received,  and  entered  Los  Angeles  without 
opposition  about  the  22nd  of  January.  Andres  Pico  was  pres- 
ent with  a  body  of  twenty  soldiers,  and  Pio  Pico  and  Francisco 
M.  Alvarado.  also  of  San  Diego,  were  said  to  be  on  the  way.  but 
did  not  ai'rive  until  all  was  over.  Alvarado  succeeded  in  tem- 
porarily pacifying  the  Los  Angeles  town  council,  and  everything 
wa.=;  quiet  in  the  southern  district  during  February  and  ^Farch. 
On  account  of  disquieting  rumors,  however.  Alvarado  thought  it 
necessarv  to  send  General  Jose  Castro  southward,  with  orders. 


JUAN   BANDINI 

Politician  and  Revolutionist,  forever  memorable  in  local   annals   as   a   Spanish    leader   who 
stood  with  the  United  States  in  the  struggle  with  Mexico. 


ATTEMPTS  AT  REVOLUTION  127 

in  vi\sc  tlu'so  I'liinors  slioiild  |)r(»\r  wdl  luuiidud,  to  miiuvc  of 
spike  ;i]l  tlu'  i;iiiis.  carry  off  the  horses,  <uul  distribute  the  sup- 
plies in  sueh  a  manner  as  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  A  new  assembly  was  gotten  together  at  Santa 
Barbara  on  A|)imI  10,  1887,  and  submitted  a  new  series  of 
propositions  tor  the  {)acification  of  the  country.  Los  Angeles 
promptly  rejected  these  proposals,  and  San  Diego,  wtiih-  more 
politic,  pleaded  for  delay. 

During  all  tliis  time  Juan  Bandini  was  actin<^-  upon  tlie  ad\ice 
of  a  friend  who,  on  a  former  occasion,  had  suggested  that  he 
should  "go  home  and  keep  quiet,"  and  ai)pears  to  have  taken 
little  part  in  the  turmoils  of  the  time,  although  the  Picos  and 
other  San  Diegans  were  deeply  im[)licated.  The  matters  about 
which  the  different  factions  were  quarreling  were  such  as  would 
form  proper  subjects  of  discussion  in  political  campaigns — 
mainly  about  the  form  of  the  civil  and  political  code  after  which 
the  government  of  the  country  should  be  patterned.  The  south- 
erners were  restless  and  irreconcilable,  and  Alvarado  seems  to 
have  had  cause  for  his  suspicions. 

On  May  21,  1837,  Bandini,  who  had  been  for  some  time  liv- 
ing quietly  upon  his  ranch,  came  into  San  Diego  with  an  armed 
force,  proclaiming  their  purpose  to  engage  in  hostilities.  Again 
he  and  Argiiello  were  sent  as  commissioners  to  Los  Angeles,  with 
a  ready-made  plan  for  the  cure  of  all  the  countrj^'s  woes.  The 
Los  Angeles  tOAvn  council  approved,  but  feared  to  act,  and  Ban- 
dini therefore  proceeded  to  inaugurate  the  revolution  himself, 
by  seizing  the  Los  Angeles  garrison  and  guns.  There  was  doubt- 
less an  understanding  with  the  commandant  of  the  guard,  as 
the  coup  was  accomplished  Avithout  resistance,  including  the  caj)- 
ture  of  a  gun  which  Pico  had  carried  off  from  San  Diego.  Three 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  treat  with  Alvarado,  and  Ban- 
dini was  then  obliged  to  hurry  home  to  San  Diego,  whence 
alarming  reports  of  Indian  hostilities  had  been  received. 

Bandini  and  his  men  carried  the  captured  gun  with  them  and 
Avere  received  Avith  shouts  of  triumph  by  a  procession  of  their 
toAAmsmen.  The  Indian  troubles  soon  came  to  an  end.  aiul  then, 
the  ]nilitar\-  spirit  running  high,  the  "Army  of  the  Supreme 
Government,"  numbering  over  a  hundred  men.  was  recruited 
and  left  for  the  north  on  the  10th  of  June.  Captain  Portilla 
Avas  in  connuand  of  tliis  expedition,  whieh  oecunied  Ijos  Angeles, 
hastily  evacuated  1\a-  Castro's  forces  on  the  IHth. 

In  the  meantime  Captain  Andres  Castillero,  representing  him- 
self to  be  a  commissioner  of  the  general  government.  arriA^ed  at 
San  Diego  Avith  the  ucav  laAvs  of  Decembei-  29,  1836.  Avhieh 
AA^ere  to  replace  the  federal  constitution  of  1824.  The  oath  of 
allegiance  Avas  administered  to  the  San  Diego  council  and  citi- 
zens on  June  12th.  and  then  Castillero  joined  th(^  revolutionary 


128  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

;iriny  ;it  Sail  laiis  Key.  Arrived  at  Los  Angeles  he  summoned 
the  council,  as  well  as  the  officials,  soldiers,  and  citizens,  and  they 
took  the  oath  on  June  18th  amidst  festivities  and  great  rejoic- 
ing. He  then  proceeded  to  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  met  Alva- 
rado  in  July,  and  induced  him  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  new  constitutional  laws.  This  the  southern  contingent  re- 
garded as  an  act  of  treachery,  but  l)eing  left  without  a  cause  to 
fight  for.  the  army  and  the  San  Diego  plan  alike  melted  into 
thin  air.  Alvarado  remained  governor  under  the  new^  laws,  until 
in  October,  when  Carlos  Carrillo  succeeded  him. 

In  January,  1838,  Governor  Carrillo  closed  the  ports  of  San 
Francisco  and  Monterey  and  established  the  custom  house  at 
San  Diego.  He  was  no  more  fortunate  than  his  predecessors  in 
maintaining  peace,  and  was  soon  involved  in  a  war  which  cul- 
minated in  the  battle  of  San  Buenaventura,  the  latter  part  of 
March.  Being  defeated,  Carrillo  with  a  few  friends  and  the  rem- 
nant of  his  army  fled  to  San  Diego.  Here  he  endeavored  to  raise 
a  force  to  renew  the  war,  and  was  aided  by  Bandini  and  others. 
A  force  of  al)Out  a  hundred  men  and  three  cannon  was  collected 
and  met  the  enemy  at  Las  Flores,  on  April  21st.  A  long  nego- 
tiation followed  which  ended  in  a  compromise — the  enemy  car- 
ried off  the  cannon  and  Alvarado  again  became  Governor. 

The  result  of  all  this  political  anarchy  was  a  distressing  con- 
dition for  the  military  at  the  Presidio.  For  instance,  in  April, 
1834,  Lieutenant  Salazar  cannot  go  to  Monterey  for  want  of  a 
shirt  and  jacket!  He  has  only  a  poor  cloak  to  cover  "the  fright- 
ful condition  of  his  trousers."  There  is  no  food  for  prisoners 
and  they  are  farmed  out  to  any  citizen  who  will  feed  them.  In 
February,  1837,  fourteen  prisoners  were  engaged  on  public 
works — three  in  repairing  the  jJaza  road,  and  several  more  at 
work  on  the  courthouse  and  jail,  which  were  deemed  more  urgent 
than  the  church.  The  Presidio  building  was  abandoned  about 
1835  and  by  1840  was  in  ruins.  A  fcAv  half-starved  soldiers  lin- 
gered as  a  melancholy  reminder  of  former  glory. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  in  1839  the  garrison  consisted  of  one 
soldier  at  the  Presidio  and  eight  at  San  Luis  Eey,  and  that  they 
disbanded  in  September  of  that  year,  in  order  to  escape  death 
by  starvation.  Much  of  the  building  material  on  the  hill  liad 
by  this  time  been  carried  down  and  used  in  the  erection  of  the 
new  town  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  At  Christmas,  1838,  earth- 
works were  thrown  u]^  on  the  hill  above  the  Presidio,  for  protec- 
tion of  the  town  at  the  time  when  an  attack  was  expected  by 
Jose  Castro,  and  two  cannon  were  dragged  up  to  it  from  the 
fort,  but  nothing  came  of  these  labors.  Fort  Guijarros  had  no 
garrison  after  1835.  In  1839  it  Avas  reported  that  there  were 
nine  cannon,  two  of  which  were  serviceable,  and  fifty  canisters 
of  grape  and  three  hundred  balls.     An  effort  to  have  a  guard 


LAST  OF  MEXICAN  GLORY  129 

provided  ior  tliis  property  fjiiled.  and  on  -laiiuary  17.  1840, 
the  contents  of  the  fort  were  sold  to  Juan  Machado  for  $40. 

The  seeularization  of  the  missions  and  the  political  disturb- 
ances of  the  time  had  impoverished  the  country.  The  church  and 
other  remaining  buildings  were  unroofed  by  the  commandant 
and  the  tiles  sold  to  satisfy  demands  which  he  had  against  the 
government.  Robinson  says  tliat  in  Ai)ril,  1840,  he  found  every- 
thing i)rostrated,  the  mission  depopulated,  the  town  ahnost 
deserted,  and  its  few  remaining  inhabitants  miserably  poor. 

In  June,  1842,  there  was  a  rising  of  the  Indians  and  it  was 
reported  that  there  were  onl}^  five  men  at  San  Diego,  tliree  of 
whom  were  foreigners,  Avhile  all  the  rest  were  absent  on  ranchos. 
Early  in  the  year,  the  French  traveler,  de  Mofras,  says  he  found 
a  few  soldiers  and  one  officer  at  the  pueblo,  and  that  there  were 
a  few  cannon  and  balls  lying  in  the  sand  at  the  Presidio  and 
Castillo.  In  October,  Jose  A.  Estudillo  was  directed  to  carry 
away  in  carts  all  the  useful  guns  and  ball  at  the  fort.  The  Alert, 
Captain  Phelps,  was  lying  at  La  Playa  at  this  time,  however. 
Phelps  heard  of  the  capture  of  ]\Ionterey  l)y  Commodore  Jones 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  also  that  Governor  Micheltorena 
had  sent  a  force  to  seize  all  property  at  San  Diego  and,  antici- 
pating trouble,  he  decided  to  act  promptly.  He  put  his  men  at 
work  night  and  day  to  hasten  their  departure,  and  in  the  mean- 
time sent  a  party  to  old  Fort  Guijarros  which  spiked  all  the  guns 
and  threw  the  copper  shot  into  the  sea.  Estudillo  was  therefore 
saved  any  trouble  in  the  matter.  An  investigation  in  the  follow- 
ing month  showed  that  there  was  one  officer  at  San  Diego,  witli 
fourteen  men  under  him,  but  no  arms  or  ammunition. 

On  August  25,  1842,  San  Diego  had  a  last  glimpse  of  Mexican 
military  glory  in  the  arrival  of  Governor  ]\Iicheltorenn  in  the 
brig  Chato,  who  remained  about  a  month  drilling  and  outfitting 
his  "battalion  of  cholos, "  as  they  have  been  .justly  called.  This 
invasion  was  the  last  of  the  convict  colonies  sent  from  Mexico. 
Fortunately,  they  did  not  remain  long  here,  but  moved  on  to 
devastate  the  rest  of  the  country.  They  showed  themselves  very 
poor  soldiers,  but  exceedingly  expert  night  prowlers  and  pilfer- 
ers. Alfred  Robinson,  who  was  here  at  the  time  and  saw  a  part 
of  them  land,  says : 

They  presented  a  state  of  wretchedness  and  misery  un- 
equalled. Not  one  individual  among  them  i)osscssed  a  jacket 
or  pantaloons;  but  naked,  and  like  the  savage  Indians,  they 
concealed  their  nudity  with  dirty,  miserable  blankets.  The 
females  were  not  much  better  off;  for  the  scantiness  of  their 
mean  apparel  was  too  apparent  for  modest  observers.  Thoy 
appeared  like  convicts;  and,  indeed,  the  greater  portion  of 
them  had  been  charged  with  the  crime  either  of  murder  or  of 
theft.  .  .  .  The  remainder  of  the  "convict  army"  arrived 
in   course   of   time,   and   I   had   an   opportunity   of   seeing   them 


130  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

all,  aftiTwardy.  .  .  .  They  mustered  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  aud  their  general  had  given  them,  since  their 
arrival,  a  neat  uniform  of  white  linen.  .  .  .  Day  after  day 
the  place  resounded  with  the  noise  of  the  trumpet  and  the 
drums;  and  a  level  spot,  on  the  river's  margin,  was  the  scene 
of  military  inanoeuvers.  At  niglit.  the  gardens  and  vineyards 
were  plundered,  and  the  neigld)oring  farms  suffered  greatly, 
from   the   frequency   of   the    soldiers'   visits. 

He  also  says  there  was  no  animiinition  with  which  to  salute 
the  new  governor,  and  that  a  sahite  from  the  Yankee  ship  in 
which  Robinson  had  arrived,  was  the  only  welcome  of  the  kind 
he  received. 

The  new  governor  was  received  with  social  honors  and  was 
given  a  reception  lasting  several  days.  For  a  week  there  was 
a  succession  of  halls  and  other  amusements,  and  Micheltorena 
made  a  speech.  There  were  troubles,  too,  as  well  as  rejoicing. 
Twenty-tive  of  the  men  deserted  and  tried  to  escape  into  Mex- 
ico, but  were  overtaken  and  brought  back.  It  was  found  that 
a  large  part  of  the  balls  did  not  fit  the  guns,  and  had  to  be 
remelted.  There  were  also  financial  difficulties,  but  the  battal- 
ion finally  departed,  spreading  desolation  aud  terror.  There  is 
no  episode  of  the  days  of  the  Mexican  rule  which  caused  more 
heart-burnings  than  the  coming  of  this  Ijand  of  despei'ados. 

De  Mofras  estimated  the  population  at  one  hundred  in  this 
year.  Three  yeai-s  later  the  town  had  grown  somewhat  and  was 
made  a  subdivision  of  the  Los  Angeles  district  and  Captain 
Santiago  E.  Argiiello  was  appointed  the  first  sub-prefect. 

The  political  life  sketched  in  this  chapter  ended  with  the  Mex- 
ican AVar,  when  an  entirely  different  set  of  men  and  influences 
took  the  stage  of  local  history.  The  soldiers  and  statesmen  of 
Mexico,  in  their  rule  of  a  (piarter  of  a  century,  had  added  prac- 
tically nothing  to  the  accomplishment  of  their  Spanish  predeces- 
sors. To  a  very  large  extent,  they  had  squandered  their  time 
and  energies  in  petty  squabbles  over  personal  rivalries.  They 
had  virtually  destroyed  the  economic  structure  evolved  by  the 
^Mission  Fathers  and  dissipated  the  strength  of  the  military  estab- 
lishment. If  commerce  prospered  to  some  extent  under  their 
rule,  the  fact  was  chiefly  due  to  the  enterprise  of  outsiders  i-afher 
than  to  that  of  the  Mexicans.  Their  policy  of  dividing  the  mis- 
sion lands  into  private  grants  undoubtedly  gave  some  impulse 
to  settlement,  but  even  this  development  was  conducted  in  the 
most  extravagant  and  wasteful  way. 

Before  turning  to  the  brighter  days  which  dawned  with  Amer- 
ican occupation,  Ave  must  consider  several  other  aspects  of  San 
Diego  life  in  the  earlv  time. 


CHAPTER  IV 
EARLY  HOMES,    VISITORS,    AND  FAMILIES 

THE  citizens  and  tourists  of  today  look  upon 
the  crumbling  adobe  walls  of  Old  Town,  they 
naturally  wonder  in  what  order  the  houses 
were  built,  by  Avhom  they  were  inhabitinl  in  the 
early  time,  and  what  visitors  fi-oiu  abroad 
mingled  in  the  life  of  the  place  and  went  away 
to  speak  the  name  of  San  Diego  in  distant 
parts.  It  is  these  quiet  annals  of  the  old 
time  to  which  this  chapter  is  given. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  erection  of  any  dwelling  outside  the 
Presidio  enclosure  earlier  than  the  year  1800.  It  seems  likely 
that  the  first  house  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  was  a  very  humble 
affair,  and  that  it  was  built  by  Captain  Francisco  Maria  Ruiz. 
The  earliest  authentic  list  of  houses  that  has  come  down  to  us 
begins  with  1821.  At  that  time  the  following  houses  were  stand- 
ing on  the  present  site  of  Old  Town: 

The  small  house  of  Captain  Ruiz,  on  the  tract  afterward  known 
as  "Rose's  Garden,"  where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1839. 
The  house  has  now  disappeared. 

The  "Fitch  house,"  a  row  of  buildings  where  Captain  Fitch 
lived  and  had  his  store  from  the  early  thirties;  this  is  now  a 
heap  of  ruins. 

A  building  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Juan  Streets, 
belonging  to  the  Doila  ^Maria  Reyes  Ybaues,  the  maternal  head 
of  the  Estudillo  family.  This  house  was  afterward  used  by  Jose 
Maria  Estudillo  as  a  stable.    It  is  now  in  ruins. 

A  two-story  house  on  Juan  Street,  nearly  opposite  the  one  last 
named,  belonging  to  Rafaela  Serrano.  This  is  now  owned  by 
Louis  Serrano  and  was  occupied  until  a  recent  date. 

A  small  house  on  the  plaza,  owned  by  Juan  ]\Taria  Marrou. 
This  house  afterward  became  the  property  of  Andres  Pico,  and 
the  late  E.  W.  ]\rorse  was  responsible  for  its  final  destruction. 
Some  of  the  early  views  of  Old  Town  show  this  building  stand- 
ing as  it  did  out  of  line  with  the  others  and  quite  near  the  "Rose 
house,"  where  Morse's  store  was  located.  Having  tried  in  vain 
to  buy  it  from  Pico,  Mr.  Morse  bided  his  time  until  the  easy- 
going Californian  allowed  it  to  be  sold  for  taxes,  then  bought 
it   and   inunediatelv  had  it  torn   down    and    removed.      He  re- 


132  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

marked,  ^vitll  a  quiet  siiiile,  while  telliiiij;  this  story,  that  he  sup- 
posed the  tax  title  really  gave  him  no  riuht  to  act  so  summarily, 
but  he  correctly  reasoned  that  no  trouble  would  come  of  it. 

These  were  the  five  oldest  buildiiicrs,  all  of  which  were  stand- 
ing in  1821  and  only  one  of  Avhich  (the  Serrano  house)  stands 
today.  There  were  in  this  year  several  small  gardens,  or  ranch- 
erias,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  and  near  by  in  the  valley.  Don 
Bias  Aguilar  recalled  the  followiug  names  of  persons  then  culti- 
vating such  places : 

Iguacio  Lopez,  Villobobo,  Miguel  Blanco,  Pedro  Garcia,  Teno- 
rio,  Jose  Manuel  Silbas,  and  Andreas  Ybarra  who  afterw^ard 
owned  the  Encinitos  Rancho ;  all  of  whom  were  soldiers  and 
whose  gai'dens  were  in  the  valley.  Rafaela  Serrano,  whose  place 
adjoiued  "Rose's  garden";  Juan  Machado,  who  lived  a  short 
distance    uj)    the    valley;    Juan    Maria    Ybarra.   a    lieutenant 


THE    MACHADO    HOUSE,    OLD    TOWN,    (WEST   SmE    OF   PLAZA) 

from  Mazatlan;  el  Alferez  Delgado  ("the  thin  lieutenant"),, 
whose  name  Aguilar  did  not  recall,  but  who  was  also  from  Mazat- 
lan ;  Lus  Ruiz,  whose  place  was  across  the  river,  opposite  the 
Presidio ;  Juan  Marine,  who  had  a  garden  and  small  vineyard 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  going  toward  the  Tecolote ;  Los 
Arcias,  who  had  garden  and  vineyard  adjoining  that  of  Marine; 
Santiago  Argiiello,  whose  garden  was  at  the  first  cafiada  above 
the  Presidio,  called  b.y  the  pious  Canada  de  la  Cruz,  but  by 
the  wild  soldiers  Canada  del  Diablo,  just  above  the  present 
waterworks.  These  little  farms  were  seriously  damaged  in  the 
flood  of  1821,  as  already  related. 

Building  in  the  new  town  began  to  progress  as  the  military 
establishment  decayed  and  commercial  prosperity  increased.     In 


HISTORIC  OLD  HOUSES 


133 


1824  the  "I'it'o  liousc"  was  hiiill,  on  .Juan  street,  and  between 
that  year  and  1830  several  large  and  substantial  residences 
were  constrneted.  Alfred  Hol)ins()n,  the  earliest  American 
visitor  who  has  left  a  good  acconnt,  says  that  on  his  first  visit 
in  1829  the  town  "consisted  of  about  thij-ty  honses  of  rude 
appearance,  mostly  occupied  by  retired  veterans."  The  house 
of  Don  Juan  Bandini,  then  in  an  nnfinislied  state,  excited  his 
admiration.  This  house  is  one  of  the  utmost  historical  interest, 
having  been  the  center  of  social  gaiety  and  jwlitical  affairs 
for  nearly  twenty  years.  It  was  the  headquarters  of  Com- 
modore Stockton  during  the  INIexican  Avar.  Soon  after  the  civil 
war  it  was  i)urchased  by  A.  L.  Seeley,  who  added  a  second  story 
of  wood  and  used  it  as  a  hotel  (the  Cosmopolitan)  in  connection 
with  his  stage  line  between  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles.  It  is 
now  occupied  by  Ackerman  &  Tuffley,  who  use  it  as  an  olive 
pickling  Avorks,  and  it  is  still  in  a  state  of  very  good  repair. 


ESTUDILLO   HOUSE,    OLD   TOWN 
Popularly   called    "The   Ramona   House" 


Other  houses  built  l)efore  the  year  1830  were:  the  house  of 
Juan  Rodriguez,  adjoining  the  Franklin  house  in  later  years; 
the  house  of  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo,  later  the  i-(>sideiice  of  Jose 
Guadalupe  Estudillo,  and  long  an  important  landmark,  (this 
house  is  the  ]ucturesque  ruin  at  the  south  end  of  the  plaza 
popularl,y,  but  erroneously,  called  the  "Ramona  house")  ;  the 
house  of  Dona  Tomaso  Alvarado ;  the  "French  bakery";  the 
house  of  Rosario  Aguilar  which  was  situated  on  what  is  now 
a  vacant  lot  adjoining  the  house  of  Louis  Rose;  and  the  Carrillo 
house  in  "Rose's  Garden,"  adjoining  the  Serrano  house  on  the 
east.  Bandini  and  Estudillo  were  granted  a  lot  in  common  in 
1827.  which  doulitless  marks  the  time  of  tlioir  beginnins'  prejiara- 
tions  to  build. 

Some  of  the  accounts  of  foreign  visitors  at  this  time,  though 
not  ahvays  accurate,  are  worth  quoting.     Vancouver  and  Capt. 


134  HISTORY  OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Cleveland  have  already  been  mentioned.  Benjamin  Morrell, 
junior,  on  the  American  schooner  Tartar,  arrived  in  April, 
1825.  He  remained  twelve  days,  and  in  a  book  which  he  pub- 
lished in  1832  told  some  remarkable  stories.  According  to  this 
veracious  chronicler,  the  form  of  the  Presidio  was  "nearly  cir- 
cular, and  it  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  about  20  feet  in  height, 
which  forms  the  back  sides  of  the  houses.  There  are  about  250 
houses  erected  in  this  manner,  from  one  to  two  stories  high,  built 
of  freestone  and  neatly  finished.  There  is  also  a  large  church, 
one  nunnery,  and  a  very  neat  little  court-house.  This  town  con- 
tains about  1,500  inhabitants,  principally  natives  of  the  coast." 
Does  the  reader  care  for  more?  Well,  it  seems  that  while  here, 
he  and  seven  Spanish  companions  had  a  desperate  hand-to-hand 
conflict  Avitli  fift}'  mounted  Indian  warriors  of  whom  they  killed 
seventeen,  while  on  a  hunting  expedition.  Notwithstanding 
the  gallant  captain's  evident  weakness  for  drawing  a  long  bow, 
his  statement  that  a  whale  boat  was  built  during  his  stay  here 
is  perhaps  entitled  to  belief. 

In  December,  1826,  the  American  explorer  and  trapper, 
Jedidiah  S.  Smith,  and  party,  who  had  crossed  the  desert,  follow- 
ing down  the  Colorado  river  and  reached  San  Gabriel,  were 
brought  to  San  Diego  to  he  dealt  with  by  Governor  Echeandia. 
They  had  a  somewhat  unfriendly  reception,  but  were  allowed  to 
secure  supplies  and  depart.  The  accounts  of  this  visit  do  not 
seem  to  include  anything  of  interest  regarding  the  town  or  people 
of  San  Diego. 

The  next  visitor  was  the  French  Captain  Duhaut-Cilly,  who 
came  in  1827  and  liked  the  harbor  better  than  the  town.  He 
writes  that  the  port  is  "without  doubt  the  best  in  all  Cal- 
ifornia," safer  than  that  of  San  Francisco  even,  and  that  this 
is  due  to  natural  advantages  rather  than  to  artificial  improve- 
ments. He  continues:  "A  sad  place  is  the  Presidio  of  San 
Diego,  the  saddest  of  all  that  we  had  visited  in  California,  ex- 
cept San  Pedro.  It  is  built  on  the  slope  of  an  arid  hill  and 
has  no  regular  form.  It  is  a  shapeless  mass  of  houses,  all  the 
more  gloomy  because  of  the  dark  color  of  the  bricks  of  which 
they  are  rudely  constructed.  Under  the  presidio  on  a  sandy 
plain  are  seen  thirty  or  forty  scattered  houses  of  poor  appear- 
ance and  a  few  gardens  badly  cultivated." 

The  American,  James  0.  Pattie,  claimed  to  have  spent  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  1828  in  the  Presidio  prison,  and  after- 
ward published  a  narrative  in  which  he  described  only  his 
prison,  thus:  "jMy  prison  was  a  cell  eight  or  ten  feet  square, 
with  walls  and  floors  of  stone.  A  door  with  iron  bars  an  inch 
square  like  the  bars  of  window  sashes,  and  it  grated  on  its  iron 
hinges  as  it  opened  to  receive  me.     Over  the  external  front  of 


THE  PATTIE  CASE  135 

this  prison  was  inscribed  in  capital  letters' Destinacion  de  la 
Callivo." 

The  episode  of  the  Pattie  party  in  1828  is  a  most  interest- 
ing one  and  not  as  well  known  as  it  deserves  to  be.  These  eight 
Americans  occupied  a  prison  on  Presidio  hill  for  several  months, 
and  the  leader  died  there.  The  feeling  of  the  Californians  was 
not  particularly  hostile  to  Americans,  perhaps  rather  less  so 
than  to  Spaniards ;  but  all  foreigners  were  regarded  with 
suspicion  and  kept  under  as  strict  a  surveillance  as  the  inefficient 
administration  of  the  time  could  contrive.  The  earlier  visits  of 
sea  rovers  on  the  coast  were  now  being  followed  up  by  incursions 
of  trappers  and  semi-military  parties  from  the  interior.  Many 
books  had  appeared  giving  glowing  accounts  of  the  country,  and 
the  mysterious  ichor  in  the  blood  of  the  American  pioneer 
which  still  draws  him  ever  toward  the  setting  sun  was  full  of 
potency.  The  Californians  had  just  cause  for  alarm,  as  events 
soon  proved.  Some  acts  of  violence  and  injustice  resulted,  at 
other  places,  notably  the  arrest  and  deportation  to  Tepic  of  a 
large  number  of  foreigners  at  Monterey  and  other  places  in 
1840.  But  on  the  whole,  considering  the  volatile  temperament 
of  the  ruling  class  and  the  difficult  situation  in  which  they  found 
themselves,  it  must  be  said  that  they  acted  toward  foreigners 
for  the  most  part  with  moderation  and  good  sense.  The  treat- 
ment of  the  Pattie  party,  if  Pattie 's  narrative  is  to  be  believed, 
is  the  single  notable  exception  to  this  rule,  so  far  as  events  at 
San  Diego  are  concerned. 

Sylvester  Pattie  was  a  Kentuckian,  an  Indian  fighter,  lumber- 
man, and  trapper.  In  1824  he  and  his  son,  James  0.  Pattie,  a 
young  man  of  about  twenty,  went  on  an  expedition  to  New 
Mexico,  where  they  remained  three  years.  In  September,  1827, 
a  company  was  organized  at  Santa  Fe  for  the  purpose  of  opera- 
ting on  the  Colorado  river,  and  the  elder  Pattie  became  its  cap- 
tain. Eight  of  this  company,  including  the  two  Patties,  reached 
the  junction  of  the  Colorado  and  Gila  rivers  on  December  1, 
1827.  in  des|)erate  straits  for  food  and  supplies.  After  floating 
down  the  Colorado  to  tide  water  in  a  vain  search  for  a  mythical 
settlement  of  white  men,  they  buried  their  traps  and  furs  and 
started  westward  across  the  desert.  They  reached  the  IMission 
of  Santa  Catalina,  in  Lower  California,  on  March  21,  1828. 
after  suffering  severely,  and  arrived  at  San  Diego,  under  guard, 
by  Echeandia's  order,  on  the  27th.  The  names  of  the  com- 
panions of  the  Patties  appear  to  have  been  James  Pnter.  Jesse 
Ferguson,  Isaac  Slover.  AVilliam  Pope,  Richard  Lauiihlin.  and 
Nathaniel  ^l.  Pryor. 

The  governor,  for  some  reason,  chose  to  regard  the  unfor- 
tunate men  with  suspicion  and  disfavor.  He  accused  them  of  be- 
ing Spanish  spies,  tore  up  their  passport,  and  ordered  them  to 


136  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

prison.  Tliey  were  quite  williug  to  die  resisting  this  indignant 
treatment,  but  they  were  disarmed,  carefully  guarded,  and  locked 
up  in  separate  cells,  so  that  there  was  never  an  opportunity  to 
attempt  an  escape.  The  elder  Pattie  died  within  a  month,  and 
if  the  account  of  the  son  is  to  be  believed,  they  were  all  fed  on 
insufficient  and  nauseating  food  and  subjected  to  continual 
taunts  and  insults.  It  is  clear  that  he  totally  misunderstood  the 
character  of  the  Calif ornians,  and  in  the  printed  accounts  can- 
not sufficiently  express  his  scorn  and  contempt  for  the  supposed 
cowardice  and  treachery  of  his  captors.  Through  the  grated  door 
of  his  prison  he  could  see  the  governor  at  his  residence  in  the 
center  of  the  Presidio,  and  the  sight  tilled  him  with  bitterness. 
"Ah,"  he  exclaims,  "that  I  had  had  but  my  trusty  rifle  well 
charged  to  my  face !  Could  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  that 
single  shot,  I  think  I  would  have  been  willing  to  have  purchased 
it  with  my  life."  And  again:  "How  earnestly  I  wished  that  he 
and  I  had  been  together  in  the  wild  woods,  and  I  armed  with  my 
rifle!" 

But  Echeandia's  mood  was  not  always  inflexible.  Within  a 
month  he  allowed  young  Pattie,  who  had  picked  up  a  little 
Spanish  in  New  Mexico,  to  leave  the  i^rison  for  the  purpose  of 
acting  as  interpreter  during  the  trial  of  Captain  Bradshaw,  of 
the  Franklin.  The  governor  also  employed  Pattie  as  an  inter- 
preter and  made  friendly  overtures  to  him,  which  the  young 
man  regarded  from  the  first  as  "vile  and  deceitful  lies."  He 
took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  plead  his  cause  and  debate 
questions  of  international  law,  as  well  as  to  endeavor  to  secure 
permission  to  return  to  the  Colorado  and  recover  the  buried  traps 
and  furs.  He  even  carried  the  matter,  in  his  own  words,  to  the 
extent  of  "teasing  him  with  importunities."  But  when  he  re- 
fused to  translate  any  more  letters,  Echeandia  lost  patience, 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  the  flat  of  his  sword,  and  had  him 
returned  to  prison. 

In  the  following  September  the  governor  released  the  prisoners 
and  proposed  a  plan  by  which  the  buried  traps  and  furs  might 
be  recovered.  A  military  escort  was  to  be  provided,  greatly  to 
the  delight  of  the  prisoners,  who  at  once  formed  the  resolution 
to  overpower  the  guard  and  escape  at  the  first  opportunity. 
Pattie 's  vindictiveness  shows  itself  in  his  instant  resolution  to 
"rise  upon  them,  take  their  horses  for  our  own  riding,  flea  (flay) 
some  of  their  skins  to  show  that  we  knew  how  to  inflict  torture, 
and  send  the  rest  back  to  the  general  on  foot."  At  the  last 
moment,  however,  the  shrewd  old  general  spoiled  the  whole  plan 
by  refusing  to  send  any  horses  and  by  keeping  the  young  fire- 
eater  himself  as  a  hostage  for  the  safe  return  of  the  party.  ' '  At 
this  horrible  sentence,"  he  declares,  "breaking  upon  us  in  the 


THE  GOVERNOR'S  ATTITUDE  137 

sanguine  rapture  of  conlidenee,  we  all  gazed  at  each  other  in  the 
consternation  of  despair." 

The  expedition  retui'ued  in  the  latter  part  of  September  and 
reported  that  the  furs  had  been  spoiled  by  a  rise  of  the  river  and 
the  traps  had  to  be  sold  to  pay  mule-hire.  While  his  comrades 
Avere  gone,  Pattie  seems  to  have  had  a  stormy  time  of  it  in  his 
prison  cell,  where  he  lay  under  constant  expectation  of  a  violent 
death.  Pie  had  some  consolations,  however;  Captain  Bradshaw 
had  been  kind  to  him,  and  W.  H.  Cunningham,  A.  W.  Williams, 
and  Seth  Rogers  are  named  as  captains  of  American  vessels  who 
befriended  and  gave  him  money.  He  also  had  a  guardian  angel 
in  a  Spanish  young  lady  whom  he  calls  Miss  Peaks,  but  whom 
Bancroft  says  was  Miss  Pico.  His  ungovernable  tongue  seems 
to  have  been  largely  responsible  for  most  of  his  troubles,  as  he 
would  not  leave  off  from  importuning  and  disputing  with  the 
governor.  There  is  no  doubt  his  conduct  and  language  greatly 
exasperated  the  proud  old  Spaniard. 

There  is  nothing  to  show  that  the  six  men  who  went  after 
the  outfit  were  incarcerated  after  their  return.  The  final  release 
of  the  wliole  party  was  due  to  an  e])idemic  of  smallpox  which 
broke  out  in  the  northern  missions.  It  chanced  that  Pattie  had 
a  small  quantity  of  vaccine  matter  with  him,  and  he  resolved  to 
use  it  as  a  means  of  ol)taining  their  liberty.  As  he  tells  the  story, 
he  now  became  master  of  the  situation  and  dictated  terms,  re- 
fusing to  be  set  at  liberty  or  to  vaccinate  the  governor  or  even 
Miss  Pico,  unless  his  demands  were  granted.  In  return  for  the 
liberty  of  himself  and  men,  he  would  undertake  to  vaccinate 
everybody  in  Upper  Californifi.  The  stories  of  Pattie  and 
others  do  not  agree  about  this  and  many  other  matters.  He 
would  have  it  that  vaccination  was  a  mystery  to  the  Californians 
and  Russians,  which  is  not  correct.  It  seems  strange,  too.  that 
if  he  had  this  vaccine  matter  among  his  effects,  the  Californians 
should  possess  neither  the  intelligence  nor  the  power  to  find  it 
for  themselves.  After  his  release  he  vaccinated  everybody  at  the 
Presidio  and  ]\Iission  and  on  his  arrival  at  San  Francisco,  in 
June.  1829,  he  claimed  to  have  operated  on  22,000  persons. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  pi-obably  is  that  Echeandia  was  tired 
of  the  whole  business,  perhaps  convinced  that  the  men  were 
harmless,  and  anxious  to  find  an  excuse  for  releasing  them,  and 
that  Pattie 's  threats  and  violent  tongue  did  him  more  harm  than 
good.  At  any  rate,  the  governor  seems  to  have  seen  in  Pattie 's 
possession  of  the  vaccine  virus  and  ability  to  use  it,  an  opportu- 
nity to  get  rid  of  his  unwelcome  visitors  and  to  do  something  for 
the  public  health  at  the  same  time. 

The  principal  points  in  this  story,  as  related  above,  are  in 
accordance  with  Pattie 's  Narrative.  Considerable  doubt  has 
been  thrown  upon  Pattie 's  veracity.  hoAvever,  and  the  present 


138  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

writer  cannot  vouch  for  it  all.  Indeed,  it  seems  higlih'  prob- 
able that  the  party  was  not  badly  treated  at  San  Diego,  at  all. 
Pryor,  Laughlin,  and  Ferguson  remained  in  California  and  lived 
in  Los  Angeles,  and  the  stories  they  told  differed  materially 
from  young  Pattie's.  It  seems  that  young  Pattie  (or.  more 
probal)ly.  the  man  who  wrote  his  Narrative,  had  an  unreason- 
ing hatred  of  Catholics  and  Spaniards,  and  the  whole  book  is 
colored  by  it.  For  instance,  he  entirely  su]ipressed  the  fact, 
which  is  well  authenticated,  that  the  elder  Pattie  became  a 
Catholic  before  his  death  and  was  buried  in  consecrated  ground 
on  Presidio  Hill,  although  the  picture  of  "The  Burial  of  Mr. 
Pattie,"  in  his  Narrative,  itself  betrays  the  fact  that  the  inter- 
ment took  ]>lace  on  the  hill. 

From  1830  onward,  the  town  grew  rapidly  and  Avas  soon,  for 
the  time  and  country,  an  important  commercial  and  social  center. 
When  William  Heath  Davis  first  came,  in  1831,  he  found  it 
quite  a  lively  town. 

Ca])tain  J.  C.  Bogart  was  in  charge  of  the  Pacific  IMail  Steam- 
ship Company's  coal  hulk,  Clarissa  Andrews,  for  many  years. 
His  reminiscences  of  the  country  at  that  period  relate  chiefly  to 
trees,  agriculture,  and  live  stock.  He  says:  "In  1834  it  was 
good  to  see  the  hills  about  San  Diego.  Wild  oats  grew  upon 
them  to  a  height  which  reached  above  the  head  of  a  man  on  horse- 
back. Cattle  were  abundant  and  rolling  in  fat.  Whenever  any 
of  the  crew  of  the  Black  Warrior  wished  to  use  a  horse,  the 
animal  Avas  furnished  by  the  native  Californians  for  a  whole  day 
for  a  dollar.  It  made  no  difference  if  the  rider  pressed  the  horse 
to  death,  so  he  packed  the  saddle  back.  Horses  Avere  too  plentiful 
to  be  a  matter  of  any  consequence." 

The  next  visitor,  in  order  of  time,  was  the  Avell  known  Eichard 
Henry  Dana,  Avho  Avas  here  in  183(1,  and  Avhose  story  has  already 
been  drawn  upon  in  earlier  pages. 

In  1838,  there  Avere  nine  foreigners  in  San  Diego,  among  AA^hom 
Avere  Thomas  Russell  and  Peter  Weldon,  Avho  Avere  concerned 
in  a  search  for  treasure  supposed  to  be  buried  at  the  Mission. 

In  the  early  part  of  1839,  a  Mr.  Spencer  came  here  as  one  of 
the  creAv  of  the  Boston  ship  Sophia.  In  1873  he  revisited  San 
Diego,  and  in  his  recollections  given  at  that  time  recalled  the 
San  Diego  of  his  earlier  Ansit  as  "a  few  miserable  huts."  He 
may  have  had  a  disagreeable  experience  here  Avhich  influenced 
his  opinion  of  the  place.  During  their  stay,  they  purchased 
6800  hides  of  very  fat  cattle.  "-San  Diego,"  he  said,  "was  at 
that  time  a  beautiful  picture  of  fertility.  A  luxuriant  vege- 
tation graced  the  mesa.  Chaparral  and  mesquite  grew  abun- 
dantly and  countless  herds  of  cattle  pastured  around  the  edge 
of  the  bay. ' ' 


L 


WILLIAM  HEATH  DAVIS  139 

The  deeliiio  of  San  Diego  began  about  1836  and  continued 
steadily  until  the  Mexican  War.  In  1840,  the  population  was 
the  smallest  for  fifty  years.  De  Mofras  estimated  it  at  one 
hundred  and  Bancroft  thinks  it  was  about  150.  Late  in  1841 
the  newly  appointed  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Upper  California, 
Garcia  Diego,  came  with  the  intention  of  making  San  Diego  his 
residence.  He  abandoned  the  idea,  however,  and  located  at 
Santa  Barbara,  instead,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  poverty  of  the 
Mission  and  town  of  San  Diego.  In  1844-6,  in  an  effort  to 
raise  troops  for  the  defense  of  the  country  in  the  pending  Amer- 
ican invasion,  there  Avere  only  about  seventy  men  capable  of 
bearing  arms. 

The  foreign  setth^rs  living  in  San  Diego  in  1845,  according 
to  Crosthwaite's  recoUectiou,  were:  Himself,  Henr\'  D.  Fitch, 
Don  Juan  Warner,  xVbel  Stearns,  John  Forster.  Captain  John 
S.  Barker,  Thomas  Wrightington,  John  Post,  Peter  Wilder,  John 
C.  Stewart,  Thomas  Russell,  Caesar  Walker,  Captain  Edward 
Stokes,  an  English  carpenter  known  as  "Chips,"  Enos  A.  Wall, 
Albert  B.  Smith,  and  two  negroes  iiamed  Allen  B.  Dight  and 
Richard  Freeman. 

Frequent  reference  has  been  made  to  Alfred  Robinson  and 
William  Heath  Davis.  Robinson  was  a  native  of  ^Massachu setts 
who  came  here  in  1829  as  clerk  of  the  ship  Brooklinc.  He  was 
baptised  as  Jose  Maria  Alfredo  before  1833,  and  early  in  1836 
married  at  Santa  Barbara,  Ana  Maria,  daughter  of  Captain 
Jose  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega.  This  wedding  is  the  one  desei'ibed 
in  Dana's  book.  The  following  year  he  and  his  wife  went  to 
Boston.  He  returned  in  the  Alert  in  1840,  and  remained  two 
years.  His  employment  in  these  days  was  as  clerk  and  super- 
cargo of  different  ships.  In  1849  he  returned  to  California  as 
agent  for  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  and  in  later 
years  was  engaged  in  some  real  estate  transactions  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. His  LifQ  in  California  is  a  standard  work  and  one  of  the 
best  of  its  kind.  They  had  eight  children.  Mr.  Robinson,  al- 
though of  a  somewhat  reserved  disposition,  A\as  a  competent  man 
and  his  standing  in  California  was  good.  He  deserves  to  be 
remembered  among  the  pioneers  who  saw  clcfU'ly.  and  judged 
with  common  sense. 

William  Heath  Davis  was  born  at  Honolulu  in  1821.  and 
came  to  California  as  a  boy  on  the  Louisa,  in  1831.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1847,  he  married  Maria  de  Jesus  Estudillo,  daughter  of 
Jose  Joaquin  Estudillo.  His  wife  lived  in  San  Diego  when 
young,  and  Mr.  Davis's  book  is  full  of  information  about  the  life 
here  in  early  days.  For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the  most 
l)rominent  merchants  in  San  Francisco,  and  engaged  in  some  of 
the  largest  trading  ventures  on  the  coast.  He  took  little  part 
in   ]iublic  affairs,  but  was  a  thorough  and  successful  business 


140  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

num.  lie  resided  at  San  Diego  for  a  short  time  and  part  of  his 
account  of  his  life  here  is  used  in  the  following  chapter.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  New  San  Diego,  and  built  the  first  wharf 
there  in  1850,  a  circumstance  of  which  he  was  always  proud, 
although  the  venture  was  not  a  financial  success.  In  1S89  he 
published  his  Sixty  Years  in  California,  which  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  informative  books  ever  written  about  Cal- 
ifornia. In  this  book,  like  Alfred  Robinson,  he  stands  up  man- 
fully in  defense  of  the  Calif ornians — that  is,  of  the  better 
families,  such  as  that  into  which  he  married. 

He   is   still   living   in   Oakland,   California,    and  has   a   new 
set  of  reminiscences  written  and  ready  for  publication. 


A  DANCE   IN   OLD   SAN  DIEGO 

It   is  ou   the   bougli-roofed   daiicing-tioor, 

'Way  back  iu  the   brave  days   now    lui    more: 

It   is   among  the   cavaliers, 

A-tripping  with   the   lissome   dears  • 

That  bared  those  famous  ankles,   down 

In   gay   old   San    Diego    town. 

The  viols  stril^e  up  and  the  guitar. 

And   yonder,   as   comes    the   evening  star, 

Her  filmy  skirt  a  little  lifted — 

A   curling  cloud   atioat,  wind-shifted. 

Blown  now  to  the  left,  and  now  to  right — 

Glides  Josefita   into   sight. 

Yon  rider,  he  to  every  dear 

The  boldest,   gayest   cavalier. 

Is   rocking,   rocking  in    his   seat, 

Keeping  the  motion  of  her  feet. 

He  turns  his  horse,  he  runs  him  round 

The    circuit    of    the    dancing-ground. 

The  earth  is   heaving  like  an  ocean, 

Witched  with  Josefita 's   motion. 

He   comes   again,   he   comes   a-riding. 

And   comes,   too.   Josefita   gliding. 

The  bamba!     Brighter   shines   the   star; 

He  claps  his  spurs,  he  leaps  the  bar. 

Dancing!      Sweet   heavens,   look   on    her   now! 

Not   so   light   arc   the  leaves   that   dance   on    the   bough. 

The  brimming  glass  upon  her  head 

Dreams  like  a  lily  upon  its  bed! 

See!      Something  she   whispers   iu   his   car 

That  you  would   give  the  world  to  hear. 

Aha!     Somebody    will    come    down. 

Tonight,  in  San  Diego  town; 

But   Where's    the    shape    that   he    wouhi    fear. 

He,  Josefita 's  cavalier! 

— John  Vance  Cheney. 


CHAPTER  V 

PLEASANT   MEMORIES  OF  SOCIAL  LIFE 

IIATEVER  was  lackiiig  in  Old  San  Diego,  the 
social  life  was  rich  and  beautiful.  This  is 
the  testimony  of  all  visitors  and  all  the  old 
residents  who  have  lived  to  tell  the  tale. 
Peoph'  did  not  take  life  too  seriously  in  those 
days.  They  made  the  most  of  their  oppor- 
tnniti(^s  for  ha]ipiness.  and  collected  large 
dividends  of  content,  whether  they  had  any 
other  sort  or  not.  The  echo  of  their  laughter  still  rings  down 
the  pathway  of  the  years,  and  suggests  to  the  nervous  Americans 
of  today  that  there  might  he  some  pleasant  compromise  l)etween 
the  extremes  of  energy  and  indolence  which  would  result  in 
forms  of  life  peculiarly  suited  to  the  rare  environment  of  this 
southern  land. 

The  different  classes  of  society  were  quite  distinct  in  the 
early  time,  the  division  running  on  lines  of  birth.  Natives  of 
Spain  or  direct  descendants  of  such  natives,  constituted  the 
upper  class  and  prided  themselves  upon  the  purity  of  their  blood. 
Aside  from  this,  they  had  other  and  better  claims  to  consider- 
ation, for  they  were  usually  well  educated  and  always  possessed 
of  considerable  culture.  In  a  society  accustomed  to  caste,  they 
naturally  assumed  a  position  of  leadershi]:).  Some  of  them  were 
gentlemen  in  reduced  circumstances  who  had  taken  to  soldiering 
in  the  hope  of  retrieving  their  fortunes.  Others  were  men  of 
good  families  who  had  secured  official  appointments.  All  of 
them  were  proud  and  dignified  in  bearing,  even  when  they  hap- 
pened to  be  very  poor. 

The  lower  classes  consisted,  first,  of  Mexicans  with  more  or 
less  Aztec  and  Indian  blood,  and,  last  of  all,  the  native  Indian. 
Most  of  the  Mexicans  were  soldiers,  some  of  whom  brought  their 
wives,  while  others  married  Indian  women  after  coming  here. 
They  were  a  class  corresponding  to  the  Spanish  peasantry  and 
furnished  the  labor  of  the  country. 

The  social  customs  which  flourished  in  the  midst  of  these 
conditions  were  so  deeply  marked  with  the  spirit  of  common 
kindness  that  one  can  hardly  escape  the  thought  that  something 
has  been  lost,  as  well  as  gained,  in  our  present-day  struggle  to 
get  ahead,  as  individuals  and  comnnmities.     Take,  for  instance, 


SPANISH  HOSPITALITY  143 

the  matter  of  hospitality  to  straiiprers.  To  offer  to  pay  for  entei-- 
tainment  was  an  affront.  The  traveler  was  supplied  with  a  fresh 
horse  at  every  staoe  of  his  .jonniey,  and  had  no  care  or  expense 
in  the  matter  of  returning  them  to  their  owners.  On  a  table 
beside  his  bed  he  found  a  quantity  of  silver,  to  which  he  was 
expected  to  help  himself,  according  to  his  needs,  and  no  questions 
were  asked.  If  a  man  needed  a  bullock,  he  might  send  a  vaquero 
to  lasso  one  from  the  herd  of  his  wealthy  neighbor,  and  pay  for 
it  when  convenient — and  if  it  did  not  become  convenient,  it  was 
no  matter.  If  a  horse  were  borrowed  and  not  returned,  it  was 
of  no  consequence — there  w^ere  plenty  more.  The  average  of 
wealth  among  the  cattle  owners  was  large  and  their  bounty  was 
as  free  as  air. 

Incivility  was  absolutely  unknown.  Even  the  poorest  peasant 
saluted  you  politely  and  was  prepared  to  carry  a  message  or  do 
any  little  courtesy  without  charge  and  with  an  air  of  cheer- 
fulness and  good  humor.  The  kindness  of  the  people  was  gen- 
uine and  unaffected.  It  was  the  custom  to  call  all  persons  by 
their  C^hristian  names,  with  an  easy  familiarity.  Older  men  re- 
ceived the  prefix  of  Don  or  ^enor  Bon,  and  ladies  of  Dona  or 
Senorita  Dona,  if  unmarried,  and  Senora  Dona,  if  married.  It 
was  nlso  quite  usual  to  playfully  nickname  one's  intimate  friends 
in  a  humorous  manner  to  which  the  Spanish  language  lends  it- 
self most  happily.  For  instance,  Wm.  A.  Gale  was  known  as 
Quairo  Ojos  (four  eyes),  on  account  of  his  wearing  glasses. 
Tie  was  also  called  ToDvrnfa  (gale),  and  Camhalachr  (barter), 
both  for  obvious  reasons. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  characteristics  of  the  Californians 
was  the  very  great  respect  shown  to  parents  by  their  children. 
This  deference  was  not  abandoned  with  the  passing  years,  but 
even  a  grown  man  coming  into  the  presence  of  his  father  or 
mother  always  removed  his  hat  and  remained  standing  until 
invited  to  sit.  No  man,  whatever  his  age,  ever  smoked  in  the 
presence  of  his  father  or  mother.  If  a  young  man  met  an  elder 
in  the  street,  he  would  throw  away  his  cigar  and  lift  his  hat, 
whether  to  his  parents  or  a  stranger.  Servants  showed  the  same 
deference  to  their  employers.  One  scarcely  knows  what  to  say 
about  the  current  stories  of  old  men  chastising  their  grown  sons, 
and  the  latter,  although  themselves  the  fathers  of  families, 
kneeling  meekly  to  i-eceive  the  punishment.  They  may  be  true, 
and  do  seem  fairly  well  authenticated. 

The  better  class  of  Californians  were  temperate,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions. They  were  fond  of  smoking,  however,  and  the  habit 
was  almost  universal  with  them.  The  Mexican  ladies  were  also 
fond  of  tobacco,  and  brought  the  custom  of  smoking  cigaritos  to 
California. 


144  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Notions  of  propriety  were  strict  and  young  people,  even  when 
engaged,  were  not  left  to  themselves.  Courtships  were  usually 
arranged  by  the  mother  or  aunt  of  the  young  lady.  This  was 
followed  by  a  written  proposal  for  the  young  lady's  hand,  from 
the  suitor  to  her  father,  and  the  reply  was  also  given  in  writing. 
Weddings  were  made  the  occasion  of  much  social  gaiety.  Davis 
says  that  at  a  wedding  which  he  attended  in  1838,  he  was  met  on 
the  road  by  a  brother  of  the  groom,  gorgeously  attired  and 
splendidly  mounted.  Horses  were  lassoed  for  the  wedding 
cavalcade.  He  had  brought  his  own  saddle,  according  to  the 
custom,  even  though  a  guest.  There  were  two  cavalcades  for  the 
use  of  the  party,  one  of  red  roan  horses  and  the  other  of  twenty- 
five  blacks.  On  returning  from  the  Mission  and  approaching 
the  house  of  the  groom's  father,  the  old  gentleman  fired  a  salute 
with  a  brass  cannon  which  ho  kept  in  the  plaza  in  front  of  the 
dwelling. 

It  was  customary  for  the  Californians  to  marry  young.  One 
reason  for  this  was  in  order  that  the  young  men  might  thereby 
escape  being  drafted  into  the  army.  It  was  not  uncommon  for 
boys  of  sixteen,  or  seventeen,  and  girls  of  fifteen  or  sixteen,  to 
marry.  Balls  given  at  the  celebration  of  the  nuptials  usually 
lasted  three  days.  Arboi-s  were  carefully  prepared,  with  beaten 
earthen  floors,  and  lined  with  sheets  and  other  articles  to  exclude 
the  wind.  The  feasting  and  dancing  did  not  cease,  night  or 
day. 

One  of  the  best  descriptions  of  the  wedding  customs  is  that 
contained  in  Dana's  Two  Year<i  Before  ihe  Mast,  wherein  he 
describes  the  wedding  of  Alfred  Robinson  and  Seiiorita  de  la 
Guerra  y  Noriega,  at  Santa  Barbara  in  ISSfi.     He  says: 

At  ten  0  'clock  tlie  bride  went  u])  with  her  sister  to  the  con- 
fessional, dressed  in  deep  black.  Nearly  an  hour  intervened, 
when  the  great  doors  of  the  mission-church  opened,  the  bells 
rang  out  a  loud,  discordant  peal,  n  private  signal  was  run  up  for 
us  by  the  captain  ashore,  the  bride,  dressed  in  complete  white, 
came  out  of  the  church  with  the  bridegroom,  followed  by  a  long 
procession.  Just  as  she  stepped  from  the  church  door,  a  small 
white  cloud  issued  from  the  bows  of  our  ship,  which  was  in 
full  sight,  a  loud  report  echoed  among  the  surrounding  liills  and 
over  the  bay,  and  instantly  the  ship  was  dressed  in  flags  and 
pennants  from  stem  to  stern.  Twenty-three  guns  followed  in 
regular  succession,  with  an  interval  of  fifteen  seconds  between 
each,  when  the  cloud  cleared  away,  and  the  ship  lay  dressed  in 
her  colors  all  day.  At  sundown  another  salute  of  the  same 
number  of  guns  was  fired,  and  all  the  flags  run  down. 

After  supper  we  rowed  ashore,  dressed  in  our  uniforms,  beached 
the  boat,  and  went  up  to  the  fanrlango.  As  we  drew  near 
we  heard  the  accustomed  sound  of  violins  and  guitars,  and  saw 
a  great  motion  of  the  people  within.  Going  in.  we  found  nearly 
all  the  people  of  the  town — men,  women,  and  children — collected 
and    crowded    together,    leaving   barely   room    for    the    dancers; 


A  TYPICAL  WEDDING  145 

fur  uu  tlu'se  occasions  no  iuvitations  are  giv'cn,  but  every  one  is 
expected  to  come,  though  there  is  always  a  private  entertain- 
ment within  the  house  for  jiarticuhir  friends.  The  old  women 
sat  down  in  rows,  clapping  their  hands  to  tlio  music,  and 
applauding  the  young  ones.  After  the  supper  the  waltzing  be- 
gan, which  was  confined  to  a  very  few  of  the  gente  de  razon  and 
was  considered  a  high  accomplishment  and  a  mark  of  aristoc- 
racy. The  great  amusement  of  the  evening — which  I  su])pose 
was  owing  to  its  being  carnival — was  the  breaking  of  eggs 
filled  with  cologne,  or  other  essences,  upon  the  heads  of  the  com- 
pany. One  end  of  the  egg  is  broken  and  tlie  inside  taken  out, 
then  it  is  partly  filled  with  cologne,  and  the  hole  sealed  up. 
The  women  bring  a  great  number  of  these  secretly  about  them, 
and  the  amusement  is,  to  break  one  upon  the  head  of  a  gentle- 
man when  his  back  is  turned.  He  is  bound  in  gallantry  to  find 
out  the  lady  and  return  the  compliment,  though  it  must  not 
be  done  if  the  person  sees  you.  A  tall,  stately  don,  with 
immense  grey  whiskers  and  a  look  of  great  importance,  was 
standing  before  me,  when  I  felt  a  light  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
and  turning  round  saw  Doiia  Augustia  (whom  we  all  knew,  as 
she  had  been  up  to  Monterey  and  down  again  in  the  Alert), 
with  her  finger  on  her  lip,  motioning  me  gently  aside.  I  stepped 
back  a  little,  when  she  went  up  behind  the  don,  and  with 
one  hand  knocked  off  his  huge  sombrero,  and  at  the  same 
instant,  with  the  other,  broke  the  egg  upon  his  head,  and 
springing  behind  me  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment.  The  don 
turned  slowly  round,  the  cologne  running  down  his  face  and 
over  his  clothes,  and  a  loud  laugh  breaking  out  from  every 
quarter.  He  looked  round  in  vain  for  some  time,  until  the 
direction  of  so  many  laughing  eyes  showed  him  the  fair  of- 
fender. She  was  his  niece,  and  a  great  favorite  with  him,  so 
old  Domingo  had  to  join  in  the  laugh.  A  great  many  such 
tricks  were  played,  and  many  a  war  of  sharp  manceuvering 
was  carried  on  between  the  couples  of  the  younger  people; 
and  at  every  successful  exploit  a  gen>?ral  laugh  was  raised. 

The  next  day  two  of  us  were  sent  up  to  the  town,  and  took 
care  to  come  back  by  the  way  of  Captain  Noriega's.  The 
musicians  were  still  there,  scraping  and  twanging  away,  and 
a  few  people,  apparently  of  the  lower  classes,  were  dancing. 
The  dancing  is  ke]it  up  at  intervals  throughout  the  day,  but 
the  crowd,  the  spirit,  and  the  eliie  come  in  at  night. 

A  more  intimate  view  is  given  l)y  Robinson  himself,  in  his 
account  of  the  weddino'  of  his  wife's  sistei',  a  little  earlier,  both 
the  contracting  parties,  in  this  case,  being  Spanish : 

On  the  marriage  eve,  the  bride  went  with  her  father  to 
the  Mission,  dressed  in  her  usual  church  costume,  which  was 
deep  black;  where  the  joining  of  hands  took  ])lace  towards 
morning,  and,  at  a  later  hour,  the  church  ceremonies  were  per- 
formed. Breakfast  was  served  with  considerable  taste,  a  task 
to  which  the  M^orthy  friar  was  fully  competent.  At  its  conclu- 
sion the  bride  and  bridegroom  were  escorted  to  the  house  of 
her  father.  -Padre  Antonio  had  made  his  Indians  hai)py  by 
distributing  presents  among  them;  and  many  of  the  younger 
ones,  well  attired  for  the  occasion,  joined  in  the  procession. 
They    approached    the    town    without    any    regular    order,    until 


146  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

arriving  almost  within  its  precincts;  when,  ixncler  the  direc- 
tion of  the  friar,  they  formed  and  marched  in  the  following 
manner.  First  came  the  military  band,  consisting  of  about 
twenty  performers,  who  were  dressed  in  a  new  uniform  of 
red  jackets  trimmed  with  yellow  cord,  white  pantaloons  made 
after  the  Turkisli  fashion,  and  red  caps  of  the  Polish  order. 
Then  followed  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  iu  an  open  English 
barouche,  accompanied  by  the  sister  of  the  former.  After  these, 
iu  a  close  carriage,  came  Don  Jose  and  Father  Antonio;  iu 
another  the  Madrina  [godmother]  and  cousin;  and  lastly,  num- 
bers of  men  and  women  on  horseback.  Guns  were  fired,  alter- 
nately, at  the  Mission  and  in  the  Presidio,  until  their  arrival 
at  the  house,  to  the  pe.sfa  de  boda  [nuptial  feast].  At 
one  o  'clock  a  large  number  of  invited  guests  sat  down  at  a 
long    table,    to    partake    of    an    excellent    dinner.      The    married 


OLD   SAN   DIEGO   IN   1846 


couple  were  seated  at  the  head  with  the  father  spiritual  on 
the  right,  and  the  father  temporal  on  the  left.  Dinner  being 
over,  part  of  the  company  retired  to  their  homes,  whilst  some 
of  the  younger  adjourned  to  a  booth,  which  was  prepared  in 
the  courtyard,  sufficiently  large  to  contain  several  hundred 
people.  Here  they  flanced  awhile,  and  then  retired.  Early  in 
the  evening,  people,  invited  and  uninvited,  began  to  fill  up 
the  booth,  and  soon  dancing  commenced.  The  music  consisted 
of  two  violins  and  a  guitar,  on  which  were  performed  many 
beautiful  waltzes  and  contra  dances,  together  with  a  great 
number  of  local  melodies.  During  the  evening  all  took  active 
part  in  the  amusement,  and  as  the  poorer  classes  exhibited 
their  graceful  performances,  the  two  fathers,  from  an  ele- 
vated position,  threw  at  their  feet,  silver  dollars  and  doub- 
loons.     The    fandango     .     .     .     lasted    until    the    morning   light 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS  147 

appeared,  accoiiipauied  with  all  the  variety  customary  on  such 
occasions. 

On  the  next  day.  Father  Antonio,  as  a  further  compliment  to 
the  bride,  had  dinner  prepared  in  the  corridor  of  the  Mission 
— the  table  reaching  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  the  place 
being  adorned  with  flags.  Here  all  the  town  was  invited  to 
participate,  when  old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  lame  and  blind, 
black  and  white,  joined  in  the  feast.  For  several  succeeding 
nights  the  fandango  was  repeated  at  the  booth,  and  they  bad 
enough  of  feasting  and  dancing  intermingled  with  the  amuse- 
ments of  the  Carne.stoJeiulas  [shrove-tide]  to  last  them  for 
some  time. 

The  usual  season  for  Carncstolendas  is  during  the  tliree  days 
previous  to  Ash  Wednesday,  but  here  they  commence  two  weeks 
earlier.  Whilst  these  amusements  last,  it  is  dangerous  for  one 
to  go  into  a  house  where  he  is  acquainted,  for  he  is  liable  to 
be  well  drenched  with  Cologne  or  scented  water.  This  is  accom- 
plished by  the  following  preparatory  process.  As  many  eggs  as 
may  be  required,  are  emptied  of  their  contents,  by  perforating 
a  hole  at  each  end,  through  which  they  are  blown  by  the 
mouth.  The  shells  are  afterwards  immersed  in  a  large  basin 
of  prepared  essences,  with  which  they  are  partly  filled,  and 
the  holes  then  sealed  with  wax.  Thus  made  ready,  they  are 
broken  upon  the  heads  of  individuals;  but  it  must  be  under- 
stood, that  this  is  done  only  where  great  intimacy  exists  be- 
tween the  parties.  Oftentimes  invitations  are  given  for  a 
select  company  to  assemble  at  a  specified  place,  when  all 
attend  at  the  time  appointed,  "armed  and  equipped  "  for  a  battle 
with  the  eggs.  On  such  occasions,  as  the  excitement  grows 
w^arm,  and  the  ammunition  becomes  nearly  exhausted,  they 
resort  to  wet  napkins,  which  they  slap  at  each  other.  From 
these  they  have  recourse  to  tumblers  of  water,  and  from 
these  to  pitchers,  and  from  pitchers  to  buckets,  until,  tired 
and   exhausted   by   the    exercise,    they   desist! 

Even  a  funeral  was  made  the  occasion  of  feasting-  and  danc- 
ing.  Dana  thus  describes  his  first  encounter  with  this  custom 
in  Santa  Barbara  : 

Inquiring  for  an  American  who,  we  had  been  told,  had  mar- 
ried in  the  place,  and  kept  a  shop,  we  w'ere  directed  to  a  long, 
low  building,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  door  with  a  sign 
over  it  in  Spanish.  Entering  the  shop,  we  found  no  one  in 
it,  and  the  whole  had  a  deserted  appearance.  Tn  a  few  min- 
utes the  man  made  his  appearance,  and  apologized  for  having 
nothing  to  entertain  us  w-ith,  saying  that  he  had  had  a  fan- 
dango at  his  house  the  night  before,  and  the  people  had  eaten 
and  drunk  up  everything.  "Oh,  yes!"  said  T,  "Easter  holi- 
days." "No,"  said  he,  with  a  singular  expression  on  his 
face,  "I  had  a  little  daughter  die  the  other  day,  and  that's 
the    custom   of   the   country. ' ' 

At  this  I  felt  a  little  strangely,  not  knowing  what  to  say, 
or  whether  to  offer  consolation  or  no,  and  was  beginning  to 
retire  when  he  opened  a  side-door  and  told  us  to  walk  in. 
Here  I  was  no  less  astonished;  for  I  found  a  large  room  filled 
with  young  girls  from  three  or  four  years  of  age  up  to  fif- 
teen  or   sixteen,   dressed   all   in   white,   with   wreaths   of  flowers 


148  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

oil  their  lu-ads  aiid  bouquets  in  their  hands.  Follow- 
ing our  conductor  among  all  these  girls,  who  were  play- 
ing about  in  high  spirits,  we  came  to  a  table  at  the  end  of 
the  room,  covered  with  a  white  cloth,  on  which  lay  a  coffin 
about  three  feet  long  with  the  body  of  his  child.  Through 
an  open  door  we  saw  in  another  room  a  few  elderly  jieople  in 
comnion  dresses;  while  the  benches  and  tables  thrown  up  in 
a  ^-orner  and  the  stained  walls  gave  evident  signs  of  last 
night's   "high   go." 

Later  in  the  day,  the  sailors  rode  out  to  the  Mission  and 
overtook  the  funeral  procession.  The  coffin  was  borne  by 
eight  girls,  who  were  continually  relieved  by  others,  running 
forward  from  tlie  ])roeession  and  taking  their  places.  Behind 
it  came  a  straggling  company  of  girls,  dressed  as  before,  in 
white  and  flowers,  and  including,  I  should  suppose  by  their 
numbers,  all  the  girls  between  five  and  fifteen  in  the  place. 
They  played  along  on  the  way,  frecpiently  stopping  and  run- 
ning altogether  to  talk  to  some  one.  or  to  pick  up  a  flower, 
and  then  running  on  again  to  overtake  the  coffin.  There  were 
a  few  elderly  women  in  common  colors;  and  a  herd  of  young 
men  and  boys,  some  on  foot  and  others  mounted,  followed 
them,  or  walked  or  rode  by  their  side,  frecjuently  interrupting 
them  by  jokes  or  cpiestions.  But  the  most  singular  thing  of 
all  was  that  two  men  walked,  one  on  each  side  of  the  coffin, 
carrying  muskets  in  their  hands,  which  they  continually 
loaded   and   fired    into    the    air. 

^^oiiie  of  the  things  at  which  Dana  wondered  seem  natural 
and  lieantiful  enough.  ]\Irs.  Whaley  describes  a  funeral  at  Old 
San  Diego,  which  was  very  similar,  except  that  the  body  was 
carried  on  a  bier  and  not  placed  in  the  coi!in  until  the  cemetery 
Avas  reached.  A  priest  Avalked  before,  saying  prayers,  and  the 
musicians  walked  on  both  sides  playing  violins,  guitars,  and 
other  instruments.  At  the  rear  followed  a  man  with  firecrack- 
ers which  he  was  setting  off  as  they  moved. 

The  last  interment  in  the  cemetery  within  the  presidial 
enclosure  was  that  of  Captain  Fitch,  in  1840.  Nothing  now 
remains  to  show  that  the  sjiot  was  ever  used  for  such  a  purpose. 
The  Catholic  cemetery  on  the  mesa  was  used  until  February, 
1874,  when  the  large  new  cemetery,  on  the  hill  above  the  town, 
was  laid  out  under  Father  Ubach's  direction,  and  has  been  in 
use  ever  since. 

On  the  subject  of  dancing  and  other  amusements,  it  is  again 
convenient  to  draw  upon  Robinson."  Don  Juan  Bandini  had 
his  house  blessed  during  the  stay  of  Gale  and  Robinson  at  San 
Diego  in  1820.  and  they  were  invited  to  attend. 

The  ceremony  took  place  at  noon,  when  the  chaplain  pro- 
ceeded through  the  different  apartments,  sprinkling  holy  water 
upon  the  walls,  and  uttering  verses  in  Latin.  This  concluded, 
we  sat  down  to  an  excellent  dinner,  consisting  of  all  the  lux- 
uries the  place  afforded,  provided  in  Don  Juan's  best  style. 
As   soon   as   the   cloth   was   removed,   the   guitar   and  the   violin 


BLESSING  BANDINI'S  HOUSE  149 

were  [lut  in  requisition,  and  a  dance  began.  It  lasted,  how- 
ever, but  a  little  while,  for  it  was  necessary  for  them  to  spare 
their  exertions  for  the  evening  fandango.  So  poco  a  poco 
[little   by   little],    all    gradually   retired   to   their   homes. 

At  an  early  hour  the  different  passages  leading  to  the  house 
were  enlivened  wiUi  men,  women,  and  children,  hurrying  to 
the  dance 5  for  on  such  occasions  it  was  customary  for  every- 
body to  attend  without  waiting  for  the  formality  of  an  invi- 
tation. A  crowd  of  leperoH  [dependents]  was  collected  about 
the  door  when  we  arrived,  now  and  then  giving  its  shouts  of 
approbation  to  the  performances  within,  and  it  was  with  some 
difficulty  we  forced  our  entrance.  Two  persons  were  upon  the 
floor  dancing  el  jarabc.  Thej^  kept  time  to  the  music,  by 
drumming  with  their  feet,  on  the  heel  and  toe  system,  with 
such  precision,  that  the  sound  struck  harmoniouslj'  upon  the 
ear,  and  the  admirable  execution  would  not  have  done  injus- 
tice to  a  pair  of  drumsticks  in  the  hands  of  an  able  professor. 
The  attitude  of  the  female  dancer  was  erect,  with  her  head 
a  little  inclined  to  the  right  shoulder,  as  she  modestly  cast  her 
eyes  to  the  floor,  whilst  her  hands  gracefully  held  the  skirts 
of  her  dress,  suspending  it  above  the  ankle  so  as  to  expose  to 
the  company  the  execution  of  her  feet.  Her  partner,  who 
might  have  been  one  of  the  interlopers  at  the  door,  was  under 
full  speed  of  locomotion,  and  rattled  away  with  his  feet  with 
wonderful  dexterity.  His  arms  were  thrown  carelessly  behind 
his  back,  and  secured,  as  they  crossed,  the  point  of  his  scrape 
[sash],  that  still  held  its  place  upon  his  shoulders.  Neither 
had  he  doffed  his  sombrero,  but  just  as  he  stood  when  gazing 
from    the    crowd,    he    had    placed    himself   upon    the    floor. 

The  conclusion  of  this  performance  gave  us  an  opportunity 
to  edge  our  way  along  towards  the  extremity  of  the  room, 
where  a  door  communicated  with  an  inner  apartment.  Here 
we  placed  ourselves,  to  witness  in  a  most  favorable  position 
the  amusements  of  the  evening.  The  room  was  about  fifty 
feet  in  length,  and  twenty  wide,  modestly  furnished,  and  its 
sides  crowded  with  smiling  faces.  Upon  the  floor  were  accom- 
modated the  children  and  Indian  girls,  who,  close  under  the 
vigilance  of  their  parents  and  mistresses,  took  part  in  the 
scene.  The  musicians  again  commencing  a  lively  tune,  one 
of  the  managers  approached  the  nearest  female,  and,  clapping 
his  hands  in  acconn)animent  to  tlie  music,  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing her  into  the  centre  of  the  room.  Here  she  remained 
awhile,  gentlj'  tapping  with  her  feet  upon  the  floor,  aiul  then 
giving  two  or  three  whirls,  skipped  away  to  her  seat.  Another 
was  clapped  out,  and  another,  till  the  manager  had  passed  the 
compliment  throughout  the  room.  This  is  called  a  son,  and 
there  is  a  custom  among  the  men,  when  a  dancer  i)roves  par- 
ticularly attractive  to  anyone,  to  place  his  hat  upon  her  head, 
while  she  stands  thus  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  which  she 
retains  until  redeemed  by  its  owner,  with  some  trifling  pres- 
ent. During  the  performance  of  the  dances,  three  or  four  male 
voices  occasionally  took  part  in  the  nuisic,  and  towards  the 
end  of  the  evening,  from  repeated  applications  of  aguardiente 
[brandy],   they   become   quite   boisterous   and   discordant. 

The  waltz  was  now  introduced,  and  ten  or  a  dozen  couple 
whirled   gaily   around   the   room,   and    heightened   the   charms   of 


150 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


the  dance  b3'  the  introduction  of  numerous  and  interesting 
figures.  Between  the  dances  refreshments  were  handed  to  the 
ladies,  whilst  in  an  adjoining  apartment,  a  table  was  prepared 
for  the  males,  who  partook  without  ceremony.  The  most  inter- 
esting of  all  their  dances  is  the  contra  danza,  and  this,  also, 
may  be  considered  the  most  graceful.  Its  figures  are  intri- 
cate, and  in  connection  with  the  waltz,  form  a  charming  com- 
bination. These  fandangos  usually  hold  out  till  daylight,  and 
at  intervals  the  people  at  the  door  are  permitted  to  introduce 
their  jaraies  and  jotas. 

The  haniha  was  a  favorite  dance,  in  which  the  lady  would 
often  dance  with  a  giass  of  water  poised  on  her  head,  or  with 
her  feet  muffled  in  a  handkerchief.  The  jota  and  the  zorrita 
were  danced  by  couples  and  accompanied  hj  singing.  The  con- 
tra-d(i)iza  Avas  indulged  in  hy  the  better  classes  and  young  persons 
seldom  participated. 

Before  1800.  few  houses  had  other  than  an  earth  floor,  and 
the  dancing  was  done  upon  the  ground,  which  from  constant  use 
became  very  hard.     A  wooden  ])latform  was  constructed,  upon 


BANDINI  HOUSE,  OLD  TOWN,  (PRESENT  APPEARANCE) 


which  the  women  ;md  more  skillful  males  might  dance.  After 
the  ball  was  over,  the  men  in  groups  accompanied  the  women  to 
their  homes,  playing  nuisic  as  they  went.  After  this,  they,  would 
sometimes  ride  about  the  streets  and  sing  or  indulge  in  rougher 
sports. 

"How  often,"  exclaims  Doiia  Refugia  de  Baudini,  "did  we 
spend  half  the  night  at  a  trrfulia  till  2  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
in  the  most  agreeable  and  distinguished  society.  Our  house 
would  be  full  of  company — thirty  or  forty  persons  at  the  table; 
it  w^ould  have  to  be  set  twice.  A  single  fiesta  might  cost  $1,000, 
but   in    those    days   the    receii^ts    at    my    husband's    store    were 


THE  GAY  FIESTAS  151 

$18,000  a  iiioiith.  Tiie  prettiest  women  were  to  be  found  at  San 
Diego." 

"Ah,  what  times  we  used  to  liave, "  exchiims  another,  "every 
week  to  La  Playa,  aboard  the  ships — silks!  officers!  rehozos! 
music  !  dancing !  frolic  ! ' ' 

These  "good  times"  contiuued  until  long  aftei-  the  American 
occupation  and  formed  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  recollections 
of  old  settlers  now  living.  "We  used  to  have  great  times  here," 
says  one,  "real  jolly  good  times.  The  people  didn't  think  of 
anything  else,  then,  but  pleasure  and  amu.sement.  We  used  to 
have  fandangos,  or  little  parties,  at  niglil.  We  could  get  up 
one  of  these  balls  in  a  couple  of  hours.  There  was  horse-racing, 
too."  Mrs.  Whaley  relates  that  on  the  day  of  her  arrival,  the 
8th  of  December,  1853,  there  was  a  festival  and  ball  at  the  Gila 
House  and  she  was  prevailed  upon  to  go.  "We  had  splendid 
dances  there,"  she  says.  "The  musicians  were  Californians  and 
played  only  Spanish  airs.  They  looked  as  if  they  were  asleep 
while  they  played.  I  remember  particularly  the  cascarones — 
eggs  filled  with  tinsel  and  cologne  water,  which  were  broken 
-over  the  heads  of  the  dancers.  I  have  had  many  a  cascarone 
broken  on  my  head.  The  suppers  Avere  also  fine,  but  at  first  I 
found  the  Spanish  cooking  too  highly  seasoned  for  my  taste." 

The  frequent  fiestas  w^ere  one  of  the  most  highly  prized  fea- 
tures of  the  social  life  of  early  days,  and  one  which  ])ersisted 
after  nearly  all  the  other  characteristic  amusements  had  passed 
away.  In  the  Herald  of  September  3,  1853,  Lieut.  Derliy  wrote : 
"The  great  event  of  the  past  week  has  been  the  fiesta  at  San 
Luis  Rev.  IManj^  of  our  citizens  attended,  and  a  very  large  num- 
ber of  native  Californians  and  Indians  collected  from  the  vari- 
ous ranchos  in  the  vicinity.  High  mass  was  celebrated  in  the 
old  church  on  Thursday  morning,  an  Indian  baby  was  baptized, 
another  nearly  killed  by  being  run  over  by  an  excited  individ- 
ual on  an  excited  horse,  and  that  day  and  the  following  were 
passed  in  witnessing  the  absurd  efforts  of  some  twenty  natives 
to  annoy  a  number  of  tame  bulls,  with  the  tips  of  their  horns 
cut  off.  This  great  national  amusement,  ironically  termed  bull- 
fighting, consists  in  waving  a  scrape,  or  handkerchief,  in  front 
of  the  bull  until  he  is  sufficiently  annoyed  to  iim  after  his  tor- 
mentor, when  that  indi\ndual  gets  out  of  his  way.  with  great 
precipitation.  The  nights  are  passed  in  an  equally  intellectual 
manner. ' ' 

On  August  28.  1858,  Editor  Ames  says:  "Our  quiet  village 
was  nearly  deserted  during  the  whole  of  last  week,  the  greater 
portion  of  our  citizens  being  absent  at  the  Feast.  We  have 
heard  it  estimated  that  3.000  persons  were  present  at  San  Luis 
Bev  during  the  Feast  week." 


152  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Horse-racing  was  a  common  source  of  diversion  and  was  in- 
dulged in  by  all  classes.  No  feast  day  passed  without  a  num- 
ber of  races,  which  were  always  attended  with  great  interest 
and  sometimes  large  sums  of  money  were  lost  and  won.  They 
were  usually  run  bv  two  horses,  in  short  heats  of  from  two  to 
four  hundred  yards.  Dana  found  the  population  greatly  inter- 
ested and  excited  by  these  events.  The  Old  San  Diego  race- 
course was  on  the  flat  ground  between  the  town  and  San  Diego 
Bay,  and  in  the  fifties  and  sixties  some  famous  races  took  place 
there. 

In  its  first  number.  Octo1)er  3,  1868.  the  Union  says:  "To- 
morrow at  two  o'clock  a  two-mile  race  will  be  run  over  the  j\Iis- 
sion  track.  Alfredo  Carrillo  names  b.  h.  ^luggins,  Jesus  Mar- 
ron  names  1).  h.  Buck.  AVe  are  not  advised  as  to  the  amount  of 
the  stakes,  but  learn  that  besides  a  large  amount  of  money 
already  up,  the  winner  takes  the  losing  horse."  In  early  times, 
when  money  was  scarce,  the  stakes  were  more  often  in  cattle. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  bull-and-bear  fights  were  not  unknown 
here,  although  not  so  common  as  in  other  parts  of  the  territory. 
The  animals  were  placed  in  a  strong  enclosure  and  the  whole 
population  went  to  see  the  combat,  seats  being  provided  for 
women  and  children.  A  hind  leg  of  the  bear  and  a  fore  leg  of 
the  bull  were  strapped  together,  and  the  combat  sometimes 
lasted  for  hours  before  one  of  the  animals  succumbed. 

Far  more  pleasant  to  recall  are  the  picnics,  in  which  it  was 
the  custom  to  indulge  with  .ioyi)us  abandon.  The  married  ladies 
rode  on  their  own  saddles,  while  the  young  women  were  carried 
on  horseback  by  the  young  men.  This  service  was  considered  a 
post  of  honor,  and  discharged  in  the  most  polite  and  gallant 
manner  possible.  A  bride  was  often  carried  to  church  in  this 
manner.  Sometimes  the  jncnickers  would  ride  in  Avagons  draAvn 
by  oxen,  and.  if  one  of  their  number  could  play,  there  would 
be  both  instrumental  and  vocal  music,  going  and  coming.  At 
the  picnic  grounds,  mats  were  spread  and  a  feast  held,  after 
which  games  were  played.  In  the  evening,  after  the  return, 
the  day  would  be  finished  with  the  inevitable  dancing. 

The  only  thing  resembling  dramatic  perfoi-mances  were  the 
pastores,  or  sacred  comedies,  in  Avhich  the  inhabitants  took  a 
deep  interest.  On  Christmas  night,  1837,  such  a  pastorela  was 
performed,  and  Alfred  Robinson  has  left  an  account  of  it. 
Among  the  performers  were  Guadalni)e  Estudillo,  Felipe  ^Mar- 
ron,  Isadora  Pico,  and  other  girls.  He  thus  describes  the  per- 
formance and  the  midnight  mass  which  preceded  it : 

At  an  early  hour  illuminations  commenced,  fire-works  were 
set  off,  and  all  was  rejoicing.  The  church  bells  rang  merrily, 
and  long  before  the  time  of  mass  the  pathways  leading  to  the 
Presidio    were    enlivened    by    crowds    hurrying    to    devotion.      I 


A  MEMORABLE  CHRISTMAS  153 

accoiiipaiiiecl  Dou  Jose  Antonio  |  Estuclillo],  who  procured  for 
me  a  stand  where  I  c-oiild  see  distinctly  everything  that  took 
place.  The  mass  commenced,  Padre  Vicente  de  Oliva  offici- 
ated, and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  mysterious  sacrificio  he  pro- 
duced a  small  image  representing  the  infant  Saviour,  which 
he  held  in  his  hands  for  all  who  cliose  to  approach  and  kiss. 
After  this,  the  tinkling  of  the  guitar  was  heard  without,  the 
body  of  the  church  was  cleared,  and  immediatel.y  commenced 
the  harmonious  sounds  of  a  choir  of  voices.  The  characters 
entered  in  procession,  adorned  with  appro])riate  costumes,  and 
bearing  banners.  There  were  six  females  representing  shep- 
herdesses, three  men  and  a  boy.  One  of  the  men  personated 
Lucifer,  one  a  hermit,  and  the  other  Bartolo,  a  lazy  vagabond, 
whilst  the  boy  represented  the  arch-angel  Gabriel.  Tlie  story 
of  their  performance  is  ])artially  drawn  from  the  Bible,  and 
commences  with  the  angel's  appearance  to  the  shepherds,  his 
account  of  the  birth  of  our  Saviour,  and  exhortation  to  them 
to  proceed  to  the  scene  of  the  manger.  Lucifer  api)ears  among 
them,  and  endeavors  to  prevent  the  prosecution  of  their  jour- 
ney. His  influences  and  temptations  are  about  to  succeed, 
when  Gabriel  again  appears  and  frustrates  their  effect.  A  dia- 
logue is  then  carried  on  of  considerable  length  relative  to  the 
attributes  of  the  Deity,  which  ends  in  the  submission  of  Satan. 
The  whole  is  interspersed  with  songs  and  incidents  that  seem 
better  adapted  to  the  stage  than  the  church.  For  several  days 
this  theatrical  representation  is  exhibited  at  the  principal 
houses,  and  the  performers  at  the  conclusion  of  the  play  are 
entertained  with  refreshments.  The  boys  take  an  enthusiastic 
part  in  the  performance,  and  follow  about  from  house  to  house, 
perfectly  enraptured  with  the  comicalities  of  the  hermit  and 
Bartolo. 

In  later  days  there  was  an  occasional  circus,  which  imist  have 
heen  a  godsend  to  the  laughter-loving  people.  The  late  j\lrs.  E. 
W.  Morse,  who  arrived  here  in  July.  1865,  says: 

A  Spanish  circus  visited  San  Diego  soon  after  my  ai'rival.  It 
exhibited  in  the  evening  in  a  corral  with  high  adobe  walls,  the 
company  having  no  tents.  The  place  was  lighted  b}^  strips  of 
cloth  laid  in  cans  of  lard  and  then  set  on  fire.  The  primitive 
lanterns  were  set  on  high  posts  and  at  best  furnished  a  poor 
light.  The  spectators  included  nearly  all  of  the  population  of 
the  town  who  could  pay  the  admittance  fee  of  fifty  cents.  I 
think  the  Indians  were  admitted  at  half-price.  The  Americans 
and  Spanish  occupied  one  side  of  the  corral,  and  the  Indians 
squatted  on  the  ground  on  the  other.  The  performances  on 
the  trapeze  and  tight-rope  looked  especially  weird  and  fantas- 
tic in  the  smoky  light  of  those  primitive  lanterns. 

The  Californians  were  famous  horsemen,  as  everyone  knows. 
Indeed,  the  Californian  who  was  not  a  good  rider  was  looked 
upon  with  contempt.  The  greatest  tribute  which  could  be  made 
to  friendship,  was  a  present  of  a  good  horse.  The  usual  gait  iu 
riding  was  a  hard  gallop,  which  was  not  slackened  even  when 
lighting  a  cigar.     The  trappings  were  heavy  and  gorgeous  and 


154  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

covered  the  horse  from  neck  to  tail.  jMaiiv  of  the  ladies  were 
skillful  riders.  Their  saddles  had  no  stirrup,  but  they  rested 
their  foot  in  the  loop  of  a  silken  band,  instead. 

The  onh^  other  means  of  locomotion  was  in  the  primitive  ox- 
carts of  the  time,  which  were  truly  a  survival  of  ante-diluvian 
days.  They  had  either  two  or  four  wheels,  which  were  made 
of  the  section  of  a  tree  about  four  feet  in  diameter,  sawed  otf 
about  a  foot  thick.  The  body  of  the  vehicle  was  set  upon  the 
axle,  with  no  springs.  A  lijght  canopy  was  erected  over  this. 
Th(\v  were  all  wood,  no  metal  at  all  being  used.  The  cart  was 
drawn  by  oxen,  the  tongue  being  attached  to  their  horns  by 
ropes.  The  driver  walked  in  front,  to  guide  the  team,  and  the 
women  and  children  in  the  body  of  the  cart  prodded  them  with 
sticks.  This  primitive  contrivance  was  the  only  means  of  con- 
veyance, besides  horseback  riding,  for  many  years.  All  freight- 
ing was  done  in  this  manner  and  many  long  journeys  performed, 
as  well  as  nearby  picnics.  Considerable  skill  was  required  to 
guide  these  carts  safely  over  the  crude  roads.  It  is  said  that 
the  Californians  were  somewhat  negligent  about  keeping  the 
axles  greased  and  did  not  mind  the  frightful  shrieks  which 
usually  accompanied  their  progress.  It  is  said,  too,  that  it  was 
not  uncommon  for  the  oxen  to  be  trained  to  run  races,  and  that 
this  diversion  was  often  indulged  in  on  the  Avay  to  and  from 
church. 

E.  W.  Morse  related  that  one  Pedro  Gastelhum  left  his  home 
in  Ensenada,  with  his  family,  and  traveled  in  such  a  conveyance 
to  the  homes  of  friends  and  relatives  in  Sonora,  fully  a  thousand 
miles.  "It  may  have  taken  them  six  months  to  reach  their  des- 
tination," says  Mr.  Morse,  "but  what  of  it?  Unlike  the  Gringos, 
they  saw  no  need  of  hurr^nng  and  worrying  through  this  life. 
Their  countrymen  occupied  ranches  all  along  the  route,  to  which 
they  were  heartily  welcome,  without  money  and  without  price, 
whether  their  stay  w-as  long  or  short.  This  family  returned  in 
the  same  manner,  having  been  gone  about  two  years,  and,  I 
doubt  not,  have  always  looked  upon  that  trip  as  the  most  enjoy- 
able of  their  lives." 

This  was  the  only  vehicle  in  the  country  until  the  fifties. 
In  1858,  Abel  Stearns  imported  a  carriage  from  Boston,  Avhich 
was  looked  upon  by  the  Californians  as  a  deplorable  and  dan- 
gerous piece  of  vanity.  At  Santa  Barbara,  where  there  was 
more  wealth,  we  have  seen  that  Captain  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega 
owned  a  barouche  several  years  earlier. 

The  Californians  were  not,  as  a  rule,  fond  of  hunting  al- 
though they  sometimes  indulged  in  such  branches  of  the  sport 
as  could  be  pursued  on  horseback.  It  was  great  fun  to  lasso 
a  bear  and  lead  him  home,  gagged  and  foaming,  to  be  kept  for 
a  bull-and-bear  fight  on  the  next  feast  dav.     For  game  which 


'^to' 


WHEN  GAME  WAS  PLENTIFUL 


155 


had  to  be  stalked  on  foot,  oi-  in  boats,  howevei-,  tliey  had  small 
taste.  Thei^e  was  nothing  of  the  spii-it  of  the  i)ol-lmnter  about 
them.  The  testimony  concerning  the  abundance  and  variety  of 
game  in  the  country  is  (|uite  conclusive.  Besides  those  which 
have  been  previously  mentioned,  antelope  were  very  plentiful. 
In  the  early  fifties,  Captain  l*>ogart  sowed  a  field  of  barley  on 
North  Island,  but  reaped  nothing,  for  the  antelope  came  along 
the  peninsula  at  night  and  ate  it  up.  In  1853,  a  party  of  four 
San  Diegans,  who  had  been  camping  on  the  hills  for  ten  daj^s, 
brought  into  town  forty  deer  and  "a  cord"  of  smaller  game, 
and  this  was  only  one  instance  out  of  numy.  As  late  as  1868 
deer  and  antelope  were  plentiful  at  the  Eucinitos.  In  March, 
1869,  a  son  of  Captain  English,  assisted  by  a  Califoi-nian,  cap- 


WRIGHTINGTON   HOUSE,    SHOWING   THE   COURT 


tured  a  large  wildcat  on  the  mesa  between  old  and  new  San 
Diego,  and  in  December,  1871,  the  San  Diego  markets  were  well 
supplied  with  venison. 

Dana  tells  how,  while  left  in  charge  of  a  hide  house  in  San 
Diego  for  some  weeks,  a  part  of  his  duties  was  to  gather  wood 
for  use  in  cooking.  This  fuel  consisted  of  scrub  oak  trees, 
which  they  brought  in  on  a  hand-cart,  from  the  hills  back  of 
La  Playa.  While  so  engaged,  they  had  considerable  sport  with 
various  kinds  of  game.  Coyotes  (which  Dana  calls  coatk)  were 
so  plentiful  that  the  pack  of  dogs  kept  at  the  hide  houses  fre- 
quently   caught   and   killed    them.     They    also   shot   hares   and 


156  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

rabbits,  and  Dana  makes  quite  a  story  of  the  killinii,'  of  a  rattle- 
snake. 

The  rodvos,  or  "round-ups"  of  cattle,  were  held  frefjuently  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  the  herds  together,  as  well  as  of  brand- 
ing the  cattle.  They  were  more  in  the  nature  of  sport  than  of 
labor  and  gave  fine  opportunity  for  the  display  of  horsemanship. 
As  the  importance  of  the  cattle  interest  increased,  regulations 
were  enacted  l)y  the  territorial  assembly  for  the  due  government 
of  these  important  functions,  which  were  presided  over  by  the 
juez  del  campo,  or  judge  of  the  plains.  These  officials  were 
continued  under  the  American  administi-ation  and  regularly  ap- 
pointed for  several  years. 

The  houses  in  which  the  Californians  lived  were  of  a  type 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  climate  and  to  their  habits  of  life. 
The  walls  were  of  adolies,  or  large,  thin,  sun-dried  bricks.  Us- 
ually there  was  no  frame-work,  and  no  wood  in  the  structure 
except  the  doors,  window  frames,  and  roof  timbers.  The  walls 
were  laid  up  and  cemented  with  mud  and  whitewashed  without 
and  within.  The  roof  timbers  wei'e  laid  upon  the  walls,  usually 
without  other  sui)port,  and  the  roof  covered  with  thin  red  tiles 
so  shaped  and  laid  as  to  be  an  effectual  protection  against  rain. 
The  poorer  people  used  tule  or  earth  instead  of  tiles,  for  their 
roofs.  The  wealthier  classes  had  board  floors,  either  at  first  or 
later  on,  but  others  were  content  with  the  hard-packed  ground. 
Doors  were  sometimes  of  wood,  l)ut  not  infrequently  consisted 
of  a  dried  l)ull()('k's  hide,  especially  on  ranchos.  When  carefully 
built,  these  houses  were  very  comfoi'table  as  well  as  dural)le; 
but  when  exposed  unprotected  to  the  weather,  they  soon  decayed. 
There  were  no  stairs  to  climb  and  no  plumbing  to  get  out  of 
order;  they  were  cool  in  summer  and  warm  in  winter;  and  the 
extent  to  which  the  later  comers  are  reverting  to  the  Mission 
type  of  architecture  shows  how  sensibly  they  were  built. 

Some  of  these  houses — the  simplest — consisted  of  only  four 
walls  and  one  room.  The  next  Ix^tter  ones  had  a  pai'tition,  mak- 
ing two  a])artments,  and  a  little  farther  uj)  the  scale,  a  very  long 
])uilding  was  erected,  with  numerous  ro(mis  and  entrances.  But 
the  highest  type  of  house  was  built  in  the  Spanish  fashion,  in 
a  square,  with  an  inner  court.  This  patio  was  surrounded  by 
a  corridor,  oft'  which  doors  opened  into  the  rooms.  Several  of 
the  houses  in  old  San  Diego  were  of  this  kind. 

The  furniture  was  simple — in  the  earliest  days  qiute  primitive. 
Later,  the  wealthier  families  secured  furniture  from  Spain  and 
bought  that  made  at  the  missions.  A  good  deal  of  this  old  Span- 
ish and  mission-made  furniture  can  still  be  found  at  the  country 
seats  of  the  })rincipal  ranchos.  When  the  Boston  ships  began 
to  pursue  their  profitable  traffic  in  hides,  they  l)rought  quantities 
of  New  England-made  furniture,  which   became  the  rage  and 


J 


THE  DIET  OF  THE    TIME  157 

was  prefcnvd  in  San  I)i(>iio  to  tho  plainor  and  iiioiv  substantial 
Spanish  and  mission  [)roduc'ts. 

The  Californians  ate  a  great  deal  of  meat — almost  siil)sisted 
upon  it.  The  staple  food  was  beef  broiled  on  an  iron  rod,  or 
steak  with  onions,  and  sometimes  mutton,  ehieken,  antl  e,u<is.  A 
lunch  put  up  for  Alfred  Kobinsou  in  San  Diego  consisted  of 
one  boiled  chicken,  one  smoked  beef  tongue,  half  a  dozen  hard- 
boiled  eggs,  a  loaf  of  bread,  a  small  cheese,  a  bottle  of  wine,  and 
a  little  paper  of  salt  and  pepper — uot  liad,  if  one  were  not  a 
vegetarian.  The  bread  was  tortillas,  sometimes  made  with  yeast. 
Beans  they  knew  how  to  cook  admirably,  also  corn  and  potatoes. 
Their  tani<tl<:s  and  chili  con  came  (meat  cooked  with  cliili 
peppers)  are  too  well  known  to  require  description.  The  use 
of  sou])s  was  understood,  and  iish  were  considerabl,\'  eaten, 
especially  on  Fridays. 

Duhaut-Cilly  says  that  the  Californians  considered  venison 
unfit  for  food.  We  also  learn  that  they  cared  little  for  mult  on, 
pork,  or  bear's  meat,  but  were  exceedingly  fond  of  veal.  They 
were  famous  makers  of  sugared  pastry.  The  cooks  were  largely 
Indians  who  had  been  trained  for  the  work,  and  some  of  whom 
became  quite  expert.  This  was  something  to  which  the  later 
comers  found  it  hard  to  liecome  accustomed.  j\Irs.  Morse  said 
respecting  this  matter:  "The  cooking  at  the  hotel  was  quite 
unlike  the  cooking  at  the  Hotel  Del  Coronado  at  the  present 
time.  I  sat  at  the  table  alone,  being  the  only  woman  in  the 
house.  An  Indian  boy  waited  on  me  at  the  table,  and  also  gave 
me  the  news  of  the  town.  The  landlord,  an  Irish  gentleman, 
kindly  told  me  that  I  could  go  into  the  kitchen  and  cook  what- 
ever I  wished,  if  I  did  not  like  the  Indian  style.  I  availed  my- 
self of  the  privilege  and  there  were  some  interesting  discoveries. 
The  cook  was  sitting  on  a  bench  in  front  of  an  open  sack  of 
flour,  vigorously  scratching  his  head.  This  brought  unpleasant 
suggestions  to  mind,  as  did  also  his  stirring  of  the  food  while 
it  was  cooking  with  his  long  hair  dangling  over  it." 

When  diet  is  mentioned,  one  naturally  thinks  of  the  fondness 
of  Californians  for  high  seasoning.  The  use  of  red  peppers  in 
meat  was  quite  general.  In  hot  countries,  these  peppers  serve 
a  highly  important  use  and  are  to  the  Spaniard  very  much  what 
his  pork  and  beans  are  to  the  Bostonian.  In  the  cool  climate 
of  San  Diego,  their  use  would  not  appear  to  have  been  so 
necessary. 

The  w^omen  were  neat  and  cleanly  in  tlieii'  lions(']';('i'i)ing.  The 
bedding,  especially,  was  much  praised.  The  coverlids  and  pillow- 
cases were  frequently  of  satin  and  trimmed  with  beautiful  and 
costly  lace.  Except  in  a  few  of  the  wealthiest  families,  no 
table  was  set,  but  the  family  would  proceed  to  the  kitchen  where 


158  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

food  was  jiassed  around  in  [elates  or  clay  dishes.  Forks  and 
spoons  were  of  horn. 

The  subject  of  dress  is  another  of  those  topics  which  can 
scarcely  l)e  touched  without  the  temptation  to  write  a  volume, 
but  to  wliich  only  a  paragraph  can  be  given.  The  dress  worn 
b^'  middle  class  women  was  a  chemise  with  short  sleeves,  em- 
broidered and  trimmed  with  lace.  A  muslin  petticoat  was 
flounced  with  scarlet  and  secured  at  the  waist  by  a  scarlet  band. 
Shoes  were  of  velvet  or  blue  satin,  and  with  a  cotton  scarf,  pearl 
necklace  and  earrings,  completed  the  costume.  The  hair  was 
worn  plaited  and  hanging  down  the  back.  Others  substituted  a 
silk  or  satin  shawl  for  the  reboso. 

The  English  style  of  dress  was  early  adopted,  especially  by 
the  better  class.  When  Robinson  tirst  came,  the  picturesque 
Spanish  costumes  were  almost  universally  worn  by  both  sexes. 
The  ordinary  dress  of  the  men  was  in  short  clothes  and  jacket 
trimmed  with  scarlet,  a  silk  sash  about  the  waist,  hotas  of  orna- 
mented and  embroidered  deer  skin,  secured  by  colored  garters, 
emiiroidered  shoes,  the  hair  long,  braided  and  fastened  behind 
with  ribbons,  a  black  silk  handkerchief  around  the  head,  sur- 
mounted by  an  oval,  broad-rimmed  hat.  The  "best  clothes"  of 
both  sexes  were  very  gorgeous  and  expensive,  but  cannot  be  de- 
scribed in  detail  here.  A  glimpse  of  the  ordinary  dress  and 
diversions  of  the  soldiers  is  afforded  by  Robinson,  at  his  first 
visit  to  the  San  Diego  Presidio.  He  says  the  soldiers  were  amus- 
ing themselves  at  the  guard-house,  "some  seated  on  the  ground 
playing  cards  and  smoking,  while  others  were  dancing  to  the 
music  of  the  guitar.  .  .  .  At  the  gate  stood  a  sentinel,  with 
slouched  hat  and  blanket  thrown  over  one  shoulder,  his  old  Span- 
ish musket  resting  on  the  other;  his  pantaloons  were  buttoned 
and  ornamented  at  the  knee,  below  which,  his  legs  were  pro- 
tected by  leggings  of  dressed  deer-skin,  secured  with  spangled 
garters." 

"With  the  coming  of  the  Americans  and  the  setting  of  tlie 
tide  of  business  toward  New  England  all  these  things  soon  began 
to  be  affected  and,  in  time,  passed  into  complete  eclipse.  Man- 
ners and  customs  went  with  the  tide,  especially  after  the  Mexican 
War,  and  left  only  loving  memories.  It  took  some  time  to  thaw 
the  natural  reserve  between  two  peoples  who  did  not  under- 
stand each  other.  This  thawing  process,  marking  the  period  at 
the  beginning  of  which  Americans  were  regarded  with  distrust, 
if  not  dislike,  and  the  time  when  they  were  received  with  marked 
favor,  may  be  said  to  have  occurred  between  1830  and  1835.  At 
the  beginning  of  this  period,  intermarriages  between  the  two 
races  were  rare  and  when  they  did  occur  created  a  sensation ;  at 
the  end,  they  were  too  common  to  excite  comment.  In  this  con- 
nection, and  to  illustrate  what  has  been  stated,  the  storv  of  Henry 


MARRIAGE  OF  CAPTAIN  FITCH 


159 


D.  Fitch's  el(»i»('mL'nt  and  llie  troubles  which  it  brouglit  upon 
him,  is  worth  telling. 

Josefa  ('arrillo,  eldest  daughter  of  Joaquin  Carrillo,  of  San 
Diego,  was  one  of  the  beautifnl  Monien  of  the  phiee  in  182(1 
when  Captain  Fitcli  tii'st  canie  here,  and  he  soon  surrendered  to 
her  charms.  He  gave  her  a  written  promise  of  marriage  in  1827, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  coiinlry.  and  tlie  familv  consented 


MRS.    HENRY   D.    FITCH 


to  the  match,  provided  the  impediments  could  l)e  removed.  The 
first  impediment  was  that  Fitch  was  a  foreigner  and  a  Protestant. 
He  annonneed  his  intention  of  becoming  a  Mexican  citizen,  and 
was  baptised  by  Father  Menendez  on  April  14,  1829,  at  the 
chapel  in  the  Presidio,  Lieutenant  Domingo  Carrillo  acting  as 
godfather.    Menendez  had  promised  to  mai'ry  the  conple  the  fol- 


160  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

lowin<j;'  day,  but  at  the  last  inoineiit  he  weakened.  The  governor 
had  decreed  that  no  foreigners  should  niarrv  within  the  territory 
without  his  special  license,  and  this  could  not  ])e  secured. 
Domingo  Carrillo,  uncle  of  the  bride,  also  refused  to  serve  as  a 
witness,  and  the  case  looked  hopeless.  But  Menendez  was  a  man 
of  resources ;  though  not  willing  to  get  into  trouble  himself,  he 
was  not  averse  to  helping  the  lovers,  and  so  suggested  an  eloi)e- 
ment.  This  was  soon  arranged  and  Fitch  hastily  made  ready  for 
a  voyage.  He  bade  adieu  to  his  friends,  including  Miss  Carrillo, 
and  got  under  way  in  the  Vulture.  I^ut  the  departure  of  the 
Captain  and  the  ship  was  only  a  blind,  and  in  the  darkness  of 
night  they  were  hovering  close  to  the  shore.  Pio  Pico,  the  cousin 
of  Seiiorita  Carrillo,  took  her  on  his  saddle  and  carried  her 
swiftly  to  a  spot  on  the  bay  shore  where  a  boat  was  in  waiting, 
and  soon  the  lovers  were  reunited  on  the  deck.  All  Avent  well, 
and  they  were  married  at  Valparaiso  on  the  3rd  of  -Inly.  l)y  the 
Curate  Orrego. 

This  elopement  caused  considerable  scandal,  and,  the  matter 
having  l)een  arranged  with  some  secrecy,  varicnis  rumors  were  in 
circulation.  One  account  had  it  that  the  lady  was  forcibly 
abducted.  Fitch  re-appeai-ed  the  next  year  with  his  wife  and 
infant  son,  and  after  touching  at  San  Diego  proceeded  to  San 
I'edro  where  he  was  arrested  by  Echeandia's  order  and  sent  to 
San  Gabriel  for  trial.  Mrs.  Fitch  was  at  first  kept  under  sur- 
veillance in  a  private  house  and  later  sent  also  to  San  Gabriel. 
It  was  alleged  that  the  marriage  was  a  nullity,  and  technical 
flaws  were  picked  in  the  certificate.  The  couple  were  repeatedly 
interrogated  before  the  ecclesiastical  court.  Fitch  acting  as  his 
own  attorney,  and  offering  to  marry  his  wife  over  again.  The 
vicar  finally  decided,  in  December,  that  the  charges  were  not 
su])stantiated ;  that  the  marriage,  though  irregular,  was  valid; 
and  ordered  that  the  wife  be  given  up  to  the  husband.  "Yet 
considering  the  great  scandal  which  Don  Enrique  has  caused  in 
this  ]~)rovince,  I  condemn  him  to  give  as  a  j^enance  and  i-eparation 
a  bell  of  at  least  flfty  pounds  in  weight  for  the  church  at  Los 
Angeles,  which  barely  has  a  borrowed  one."  Certain  other  easy 
penances  were  provided  and  poor  Menendez's  conduct  was  the 
sul).iect  of  an  investigation.  The  troubles  of  the  couple  were  not 
quite  over,  for  on  Jan.  31,  1831,  Captain  Fitch,  writing  to  his 
friend,  Captain  Cooper,  complained  of  the  conduct  of  his  wife's 
parents,  who,  he  says,  abused  his  wife  and  would  not  leave  her 
with  him.  However,  although  the  historian  cainiot  record  that 
they  did  literally  "live  happy  ever  after,"  it  is  pleasant  to  know 
that  tliey  had  many  years  of  life  together  and  brought  up  a 
large  family. 


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CHAPTER  VI 
PROMINENT   SPANISH   FAMILIES 

HE  names  and  annals  of  Spanish  families,  con- 
spieuons  in  the  social,  commercial,  religious, 
and  political  life  of  Old  San  Diego,  will  al- 
ways be  treasured  as  an  interesting  and  vital 
part  of  local  history.  It  would  he  quite  in- 
vidious to  attempt  to  present  them  in  the  order 
of  their  importance.  Hence,  the  alphabetical 
plau  is  adopted  in  this  arrangement  of  facts 
obtained  from  a  great  variety  of  sources: 

AdUILAR,  Bias,  son  of  Corporal  Rosario,  born  at  San  Diego, 
1811.  outside  the  Presidio  walls.  Was  majordomo  at  Temecula 
in  1834.  Settled  at  San  Juan  Capistrano  and  was  a  petitioner 
for  land  in  1841.  Was  alcalde  there  in  1848.  Mari-ied  Antonia 
Guiterrez. 

AGUILAR,  Rosario.  Corporal  of  the  mission  guai'd  at  San 
Diego  soon  after  the  year  1800.  Had  a  house  on  site  of  the  pres- 
ent town,  in  1821.  ]\Iajordomo  of  San  Diego  ^Mission,  1838. 
Juez  de  paz  in  1841.  Removed  to  San  Juan  Capistrano  soon 
after  and  obtained  land  there.  Died  there  in  1847  leaving 
several  children,  of  whom  Bias  Aguilar,  mentioned  above,  was 
one.  His  daughter  Rafaela  was  married  to  Jose  Antonio 
Serrano. 

AGUIRRE,  Jose  Antonio.  A  native  of  Basque.  Spain,  born 
about  1793.  At  the  time  of  the  ^lexican  revolution  he  was  a 
merchant  at  Guaymas.  Remaining  loyal  to  Spain,  he  was  driven 
out  of  Mexico  and  settled  in  Upper  California.  Owned  brigs 
Lcoxidas  and  Joven  Guipuzoana,  and  engaged  in  coast.  Island, 
and  China  trade.  On  arrival  of  the  Hijar  colony  at  San 
Diego  in  1834,  gave  a  ball  in  Hijar 's  honor.  It  was  at  this 
ball  that  certain  modern  dances  are  said  to  have  l)een  first 
introduced  into  California.  He  divided  his  residence  between 
San  Diego  and  Santa  Barliara,  at  which  latter  place  he  owned 
the  finest  residence  in  1842.  In  1843,  he  was  grantee  of  the 
Tejon  rancho.  In  1848  and  1849,  engaged  in  trade  with  Wil- 
liam Heath  Davis,  and  in  1850  he  and  Davis,  with  four  others, 
founded  new  San  Diego.  He  was  at  San  Diego  April  1, 
1850,  and  appears  in  a  list  of  the  voters  at  Old  Town.  In  Sep- 
tember of  the  latter  vear  he  served  on  the   first   grand   jury 


162  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

ill  Sail  Diego  county  under  American  rule.  lie  married  Fran- 
cisca,  daughter  of  Prefect  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo,  of  San  Diego, 
and  after  her  death  married  her  sister,  Maria  del  Rosario 
Estudillo.  He  was  a  large  man  and  on  that  account  was  some- 
times called  "Aguirron"  (big  Aguirre).  He  was  a  fine  type  of 
the  old  Spanish  merchant  and  left  a  large  estate  to  his  widow 
and  four  children.  A  son,  Miguel  Aguirre,  lives  in  the  neighlior- 
hood  of  the  San  Jacinto  rancho.  A  daughter  was  married  to 
Francisco  Pico  and  lives  in  the  same  vicinity.  His  widow 
married  Colonel  Manuel  A.  Ferrer,  of  San  Diego. 

ALIPAS,  Damasio  and  Gervasio ;  mentioned  by  Juan  Bandini 
as  members  of  the  revolutionary  junta  of  fourteen  which  began 
the  revolt  against  Governor  Victoria  in  November,  1831.  A 
third  brother,  Santos  Alipas,  was  one  of  the  men  killed  in  the 
Pauma  massacre,  in  December,  1846. 

Damasio  Alipas  married  Juana  IMachado,  daughter  of  Jose 
Manuel  Machado,  and  had  three  daughters :  Ramona,  whose 
first  husband  was  William  Curley  and  her  second  William 
AA^illiams  ("Cockney  Bill"),  and  who  is  still  living,  in  Los 
Angeles;  Josefa,  who  married  John  Peters,  and  left  San  Diego 
in  1851  or  1855 ;  and  Maria  Arcadia,  who  became  the  wife  of 
Captain  Robert  D.  Israel  and  lives  in  Coronado.  Damasio 
Alipas  Avent  to  Sonora  before  the  Civil  AVar.  and  was  killed 
there.     His  widow  tlien  married  Thomas  AA^rightington. 

ALTAMIRANO,  Jose  Antonio,  was  the  son  of  Tomas 
Altamirano  and  Dolores  Carrillo.  and  was  born  at  La  Paz, 
Lower  California,  ATay  31,  1835.  His  mother  was  a  sister  of 
Joa(iuin  Carrillo,  the  father  of  Airs.  Henry  D.  Fitch ;  another  of 
her  brothers  was  Pedro  C.  Carrillo,  who  once  owned  the  San 
Diego  (Coronado)  peninsula  and  sold  it  for  $3000.  Jose  Ant. 
Altamirano  came  to  California  in  1849  and  Avas  first  engaged 
in  mining.  In  1859  he  went  into  stock  raising  on  a  large  scale 
near  San  Jacinto.  He  owned  the  Valle  de  las  Palmas  rancho, 
near  Tia  Juana,  in  Lower  California,  which  is  still  in  the  family, 
and  AA'as  at  one  time  the  owner  of  the  Algodones  grant,  on  the 
Colorado  river,  near  Yuma.  In  the  Mexican  AA^ar,  he  served  on 
the  American  side.  He  lived  at  Old  Town,  Avhere  he  married 
Ysabel  de  Pedrorena,  daughter  of  Aliguel  de  Pedrorena,  and  had 
a  large  family. 

Miguel  is  unmarried,  and  lives  on  Las  Flores  rancho;  Antonio 
is  married,  and  lives  at  Paris,  France,  was  formerly  a  San  Diego 
councilman ;  Jose  is  unmarried,  and  lives  in  San  Francisco ; 
Robert,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty ;  Dolores,  married,  first  Llarry 
Neale,  of  San  Diego,  and  had  three  children,  second,  Robert 
Burns,  of  Sacramento;  Ysabel,  married  E.  AV.  Ackerman  and 
lives  in  Old  Town ;  Tula,  Victoria,  and  Mary,  unmarried ;  and 
Maria  Antoinette,  Avho  died. 


SANTIAGO  ARGUELLO  163 

ALVARADO,  Fi-iuiciseo  Maria.  First  regidor  of  San  Diego, 
1837.  Treasurer,  1840-1.  Juez  dp  paz,  1845.  (Irantee  "of 
Peiiasquitas  raneho  in  1823,  1834,  and  1836,  on  whieli  he  lived: 
and  grantee  of  Soledad  raneho  in  1838.  Was  an  elector  at  San 
Diego,  April  1,  1850. 

ALVARADO,  Juan  Bantista.  Fii'st  regklor  of  San  Diego, 
1835;  comisario  de  poUcia,  1836.  Daughter  Maria  Antouia  was 
married  to  Captain  Joseph  F.  Snook. 

ARGUELLO,  Jose  Ramon,  son  of  Santiago  Argiiello.  Second 
aleahle  (juez  de  paz)  in  1845.  Davis  rehited  that  on  a  trip  into 
Lower  California,  with  Don  Ramon  as  guide,  he  found  that  gen- 
tleman addicted  to  eating  rattlesnakes. 

ARGUELLO,  Santiago.  Son  of  Jose  D.  Argiiello,  born  at 
Monterey  1791.  Paymaster  at  San  Diego  in  1818,  and  in  1821 
had  a  garden  in  ^Mission  Valley.  His  part  in  the  Bouchard 
invasion  has  been  related.  In  1827-31  he  was  lieutenant  of  the 
San  Diego  Company,  and  commandant  from  1830  to  1835. 
From  1831-5  was  captain  of  the  company  and  took  part  in  the 
revolt  against  Victoria.  In  1833-4  he  was  revenue  officer  at 
San  Diego.  In  1836  he  was  alcalde,  and  held  several  other 
offices.  During  the  Mexican  war  he  w^as  friendly  to  the  Ameri- 
cans and  gave  them  considerable  aid.  Soldiers  were  quartered 
at  his  house  and  he  held  a  commission  as  captain  in  the  Cal- 
ifornia battalion.  Was  a  member  of  the  Legislative  council  in 
1847  and  made  collector  of  the  port. 

In  1829  he  was  granted  the  Tia  Juana  raneho,  in  1841  the 
Trabujo,  and  in  1846  the  San  Diego  Mission  lands.  He 
married  Pilar  Ortega,  daughter  of  Francisco  Ortega,  of  Santa 
Barbara,  by  whom  he  had  22  children.  Among  the  children  who 
lived  and  had  issue  were :  Francisco,  Ignacio,  Jose  Antonio, 
Jose  Ramon,  Santiago  E,  Refugio  who  was  married  to  Juan 
Bandini,  Teresa  who  was  married  to  Jose  M.  Bandini,  Maria 
Louisa,  who  was  married  to  A.  V.  Zamorano,  and  Concepcion. 
wife  of  Agustin  Olvera. 

He  died  on  his  Tia  Juana  ranch  in  1862.  and  liis  widow  in 
1878.  The  ranch  is  still  oAvned  by  the  family.  Davis  takes  pains 
to  state  that  his  sons  were  finely-formed,  well  proportioned  men. 
He  was  a  man  of  ability  and  left  an  honorable  record.  His 
disposition  was  somewhat  reserved  and  he  was  not  universally 
personallv  popular. 

ARGUELLO,  Santiago  E.  Son  of  Santiago,  was  born  August 
18,  1813.  Collector  of  revenue  at  San  Diego,  1833-4.  Took 
part  against  Alvarado  in  1836-7.  Deputy  in  assembly  and  juez 
de  paz  in  1845-6.  Aided  the  Americans  in  Mexican  War  and 
had  a  claim  for  $11,548  for  damages  to  his  property.  Was  in 
charge  of  the  Otay  and  San  Antonio  Abad  ranchos  in  1836-7, 
and  ma.iordomo  and  landowner  at  San  Juan  Capistrano  in  1841. 


164  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

He  was  an  elector  at  Old  San  Diego,  April  1,  185<l.  He  married 
Guadalnpe  Estudillo,  daughter  of  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo.  He 
died  at  the  Raneho  de  la  Pnnta,  October  20,  1857,  and  left  two 
sons  and  a  number  of  daughters.  One  daughter.  :Maria  Antonia, 
was  married  to  A.  H.  Wilcox  and  another.  Refugia.  to  William 
B.  Gouts.  One  son,  Francisco,  lives  at  Tia  Juana  and  has  a 
family. 

BAXDINI,  Juan.  Any  sketch  of  this  interesting  figure  in 
the  early  life  of  San  Diego  must  necessarily  fail  to  do  him  entire 
justice.  For  nearly  forty  years  he  was  an  honored  citizen  of 
California,  saw  it  pass  from  Spanish  into  Mexican  hands,  and 
lived  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  wresting  it  from  the  control  of 
the  Californians  and  making  it  an  American  State.  Through  all 
the  intervening  days  of  struggle,  he  took  an  important  part,  and 
narrowly  missed  the  highest  political  honors  of  his  time.  Esti- 
mates of  his  character  and  services  vary  somewhat  and  have  been 
influenced  by  the  financial  misfortunes  which  pursued  him.  But 
it  seems  clear  that  his  long  residence  and  eminent  public  services 
in  San  Diego  entitled  him  to  be  considered  the  first  Spanish 
citizen  of  his  day. 

The  name  of  Bandini  is  not  originally  Spanish,  ])ut  Italian, 
the  family  originating  in  Italy  and  there  being  a  family  of 
Bandinis  of  princely  rank  now  in  existence  in  Italy. 

He  was  the  son  of  Jose  Bandini,  who  was  a  native  of  Anda- 
lusia. He  was  born  at  Lima  in  1800,  and  received  his  education 
there.  His  father  came  to  California  as  master  of  a  Spanish 
trading  vessel  in  1819  and  1821,  and  it  is  possilile  Juan  was  with 
him.  The  father  took  an  active  part  in  the  Mexican  revolution 
and  was  made  a  captain.  Soon  after  peace  came,  the  father  and 
son  came  to  San  Diego  and  built  a  house.  His  public  services 
began  in  1827-8  as  a  member  of  the  assembly,  and  from  1828  to 
'31  he  was  siih-cornisdrio  of  revenues.  His  house  at  San  Diego, 
which  is  still  standing  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  was 
erected  in  1829.  In  1830  he  Avas  chosen  substitute  congressman. 
In  1831  he  took  a  leading  part  in  the  revolt  against  Governor 
Victoria,  as  related  elsewhere.  In  1832,  he  was  appointed  comi- 
sario  ]irincipal  ad  i)itc)-im,  but  Victoria  refused  to  recognize  his 
authority  outside  San  Diego,  and  he  soon  resigned.  In  1833  he 
went  to  Mexico  as  congressman  and  returned  the  following  year 
as  Vice-President  of  the  Hijar  colonization  company  and  in- 
spector of  customs  for  California.  His  elaborate  enterfaimnent 
of  Hijar  has  been  alluded  to.  Tlie  colonization  scheme  was  a 
failure,  however.  The  California  officials  also  refused  to  rec- 
ognize his  authority  over  the  customs  and  brought  a  counter 
charge  of  smuggling  Avhich  they  succeeded  in  substantiating, 
technically,  at  least.  These  failures  of  his  hopes  were  a  severe 
blow   to   Bandini.    from   which   he   never   fullv   recovered.     In 


JUAN  BANDINI  165 

lS:}6-7-8  he  \v;is  the  k-adin^-  s{)ii-it  in  th(^  opposition  to  Govei-nor 
Alvanulo,  and  on  one  oceasion.  at  least,  had  tlie  satisfaction  of  a 
great  public  i-cception  when  the  whole  population  of  San  Diego 
turned  out  to  meet  him  on  his  return  from  the  capture  of  Los 
Angeles,  in  IH'-il.  His  return  at  this  time  was  du(»  to  Indian 
troubles.  He  was  the  owner  of  the  Tecate  raneho  on  the  :\lexiean 
border,  which  Avas  pillaged  hy  the  hostiles  and  the  family  re- 
duced to  want.  Hut  peace  having  been  made,  Alvarado  made 
him  administrator  of  the  San  Gabriel  ^Mission,  and  he  was  also 
granted  the  Jurupa.  Kineon,  and  Cajon  de  .Muscapiabe  ranchos, 
besicles  land  at  San  Juan  Capistrano.  lie  held  other  offices,  but 
continued  to  opi)ose  Alvarado  and  was  present  witli  ti-oops  at 
the  l)attle  of  Las  Flores,  in  1838.  On  Christmas  night.  1838, 
while  the  FastoreJn  was  being  performed  at  his  house,  all  the 
prominent  citizens  of  San  Diego  being  present,  the  house  was 
surrounded  by  General  Castro,  acting  under  Alvarado 's  orders, 
and  the  two  Picos  and  Juan  Ortega  taken  prisoners.  Bandini 
was  absent  at  this  time,  and  thus  escaped  arrest. 

In  1845-6  he  was  Governor  Pico's  secretary  and  supported  his 
administration.  After  the  Mexican  War  began,  howevei-.  he 
adhered  to  the  American  cause  and  rend(M-(Hl  valuabh'  services. 
He  furnished  supplies  for  the  troops,  and  did  everything  in  his 
power  to  aid  them. 

In  1847  he  was  a  member  of  the  legislative  council,  and  in 
1848.  alcalde.  On  April  1.  1850,  he  appears  as  an  elector  at 
San  Diego,  and  was  elected  treasurer,  but  declined  to  serve.  In 
this  year  he  was  keeping  a  store  at  San  Diego,  and  also  erected  a 
large  building  for  a  hotel,  the  Gila  House,  Avhich  is  said  to  have 
cost  $25,000.  Soon  aftei-  this  he  removed  to  a  raneho  which  had 
been  granted  him  in  ^Mexico  and  resumed  his  ^Mexican  citizenship. 
Here  he  took  some  part  in  politics,  and  was  a  supporter  of 
Melendres,  and  had  to  (luit  the  country  with  his  belongings,  in 
1855.  He  died  at  Los  Angeles,  whither  he  had  gone  for  treat- 
ment, in  November,  1859. 

His  first  wife  Avas  Dolores,  daughter  of  Captain  Jose  ^I. 
Estudillo,  and  their  children  were:  Arcadia,  who  married  Abel 
Stearns  and  afterward  Colonel  Roliert  L.  Baker.  She  lives  at 
Santa  ]\Ionica  and  Los  Angeles.  Ysidora,  who  was  born  Septem- 
ber 23.  1829,  was  married  to  Cave  J.  Couts,  died  May  24,  1897, 
and  is  buried  at  San  Diego.  Josefa.  wlio  was  married  to  Pedro 
C.  Carrillo,  who  was  alcalde  and  a  member  of  California's  lirst 
legislature  in  1847.  Jose  ^Maria,  who  married  Teresa,  daughter 
of  Santiago  Argiiello  ;  and  Juanito.  His  second  wife  was  Refugia, 
daughter  of  Santiago  Argiiello  (a  sister  of  his  son  Jose  Maria's 
M'ife).  They  had:  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  Alfredo,  Arturo.  and  two 
daughtei's,  one  of  whom,  Dolores,  was  married  to  Charh-s  K. 
Johnson,  and  the  other,  Victoria  (Chata),  to  Dr.  James  B.  Win- 


166  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

ston  and  lives  in  Los  Angeles.  Baiidiiii's  daugiiters  were  famous 
for  their  beauty.  All  his  family  are  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
and  several  are  wealthy.  They  live  principally  in  Southern  Cal- 
ifornia, have  married  well,  and  are  much  respected  citizens. 

Perhaps  the  stoiy  of  Bandini's  personal  appearance  and  char- 
acteristics can  best  be  told  by  a  few  extracts  from  writers  who 
knew  him.  Dana,  whose  opinion  of  Californians  was  intelligent, 
if  not  always  sympathetic,  saw  him  on  a  voyage  from  ]\Ionterey 
to  Santa  Barbara  in  January,  1836,  and  writes  thus : 

Among  our  passengers  was  a  yoimg  man  who  was  the  best 
representation  of  a  decayed  gentleman  I  had  ever  seen.  He 
was  of  the  aristocracy  of  the  country,  his  family  being  of  pure 
Spanish  blood,  and  once  of  great  importance  in  Mexico.  His 
father  had  been  governor  of  the  province  [this  is  an  error]  and 
having  amassed  a  large  property  settled  at  San  Diego.  His 
son  was  sent  to  Mexico  where  he  received  the  best  education, 
and  went  into  the  first  society  of  the  capital.  Misfortune, 
extravagance,  and  the  want  of  funds  soon  ate  the  estate  up, 
and  Don  .Juan  Bandini  returned  from  Mexico  accomplished, 
poor,  and  jiroud,  and  without  any  office  or  occupation,  to  lead 
the  life  of  most  young  men  of  the  better  families — dissolute 
and  extravagant  when  the  means  were  at  hand.  He  had  a 
slight  and  elegant  figure,  moved  gracefully,  danced  and  waltzed 
beautifully,  spoke  the  best  of  Castiliau,  with  a  pleasant  and  re- 
fined voice  and  accent,  and  had  throughout  the  bearing  of  a 
man  of  high  birth  and  figure. 

Upon  the  arrival  at  Santa  Barbara.  Bandini  danced  at  the  wed- 
ding of  Alfred  Robinson  and  Seiiorita  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega, 
concerning  which  Dana  says:  "A  great  deal  has  been  said  about 
our  friend  Don  Juan  Bandini ;  and  when  he  did  appear,  which 
was  toward  the  close  of  the  evening,  he  certainly  gave  us  the  most 
graceful  dancing  that  I  had  ever  seen.  He  was  dressed  in  white 
pantaloons,  neatly  made,  a  short  jacket  of  dark  silk  gaily  figured, 
white  stockings  and  thin  morocco  slippers  npon  his  verv  small 
feet." 

Lieutenant  Derby  was  well  acquainted  with  the  name  and  fame 
of  Don  Juan,  and  in  his  first  letter  from  San  Diego,  in  1853,  he 
pauses  in  his  fooling  long  enough  to  write:  "San  Diego  is  the 
residence  of  Don  Juan  Bandini,  whose  mansion  fronts  on  one  side 
of  the  plaza.  He  is  well  known  to  the  early  settlers  of  California 
as  a  gentleman  of  distinguished  politeness  and  hospitality.  His 
wife  and  daughters  are  among  the  most  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished ladies  of  our  State." 

Davis  bears  testimony  to  Bandini 's  worth.  ' '  He  was, ' '  he  says, 
"a  man  of  decided  ability  and  fine  character." 

Bancroft  admits  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men 
of  his  time  in  California,  of  fair  abilities  and  education,  a  charm- 
ing public  speaker,  a  fluent  writer,  and  personally  nuich  beloved. 


THE  CARRILLO  FAMILY  167 

He  thinks,  however,  that  in  the  hu-i;er  tields  of  statesmanship  he 
fell  somewhat  short — an  estimate  which  is  one  of  the  penalties 
paid  by  those  who,  whatever  their  alnlity  or  deserts,  fail  of  the 
largest  success. 

There  is  also  contemporary  testimony  to  the  fact  that  Don 
Juan  possessed  a  gift  of  sardonic  humor  and  was  som^^vhat 
given  to  sarcasm. 

CARRILLO,  Domingo  Antonio  Ignacio,  son  of  Jose  Rai- 
mundo  Carrillo.  Born  at  San  Diego,  1791.  Gentleman  soldier 
in  the  San  Diego  company  from  1807,  cadet  from  1809,  etc. 
Left  service  in  1818,  but  afterward  restored  and  at  San  Diego 
in  1821.  Was  revenue  collector,  1825-8,  promoted  to  lieuten- 
ant, 1827.  Transferred  to  Santa  Barbara  in  1830,  and  later 
in  political  troubles.  ^Married  Concepcion  Pico,  sister  of  Pio 
and  Andres  Pico,  in  1810.  Their  sons  were  Joacjuin,  Jose 
Antonio,  Francisco,  Alejandro,  and  Felipe.  Daughters:  Maria, 
wife  of  Jose  M.  Covarrubias;  Angela,  wife  of  Ignacio  del  Valle; 
and  Antonia. 

CARRILLO,  Jose  Antonio  Ezequiel.  Son  of  Jose  Rairaundo, 
and  brother  of  Domingo  Antonio  Ignacio,  above.  Born  at  San 
Francisco  in  1196.  Was  a  teacher  at  San  Diego  in  1813  and 
afterward.  At  Los  Angeles,  1827-31.  Plaving  been  e.xiled  by 
Victoria,  became  a  leader  in  movement  against  the  governor  at 
San  Diego  in  1831.  Was  deeply  implicated  in  trouble  of  the 
time  at  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  lived,  and  where  he  died  in 
1862.  His  first  wife  was  Estefana  Pico,  and  his  second  Jacinta 
Pico,  both  sisters  of  Pio  and  Andres  Pico,  of  San  Diego.  A 
daughter  was  married  to  Lewis  T.  Burton.  Don  Jose  Antonio 
was  a  man  of  natural,  ability,  but  was  dissipated. 

CARRILLO,  Jose  Raimundo.  Founder  of  the  Carrillo  family 
in  California.  A  native  of  Loreto,  born  in  1749.  Son  of  Hilario 
Carrillo.  Came  to  California  as  a  soldier,  probably  with  the  first 
expedition  in  1769,  and  rose  to  rank  of  captain.  Was  command- 
ant at  San  Diego,  1807-9.  He  married  Tomasa  Ignacia.  daugh- 
ter of  the  soldier  Francisco  Lugo,  the  ceremony  1)eing  jv^r- 
forraed  by  Junipero  Serra  at  San  Carlos,  on  April  23.  1781. 
His  early  services  in  California  were  at  Santa  Barbara  and  Mon 
terey,  coming  to  San  Diego  in  1806.  He  was  buried  in  the 
chapel  on  Presidio  Hill,  on  November  10,  1809.  His  only 
daughter,  Maria  Antonia,  became  the  wife  of  Jose  de  la  Guerra 
y  Noriega.  His  sons,  Carlos  Antonio  de  Jesus,  Jose  Antonio 
Ezequiel.  Anastasio.  and  Domingo  Antonio  Ignacio.  were  all 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  California. 

CARRILLO,  Joaquin.  Native  of  Lower  California  and  a  rel- 
ative (probably  a  cousin)  of  Jose  Rainmndo.  Was  living  as  a 
retired  soldier"  at  San  Diego  in  1827.  He  is  said  to  have  been 
a  good  performer  on  the  violin,  and  was  once  put  in  the  stocks 


168  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

by  Capt.  Ruiz  because  the  latter  thonyht  him  too  slow  in  tnii- 
iny  up  to  play  his  favorite  tune.  He  died  before  1840.  His 
widow  was  Maria  Ignacia  Lopez,  and  their  sons  were  Joaquin, 
Julio,  and  Jose  Ramon.  The  daughters,  Josefa,  whose  elope- 
ment with  Henry  I).  Fitch  has  l)een  narrated;  Francisca 
Benicia.  wife  of  M.  G.  Vallejo ;  ]\Iaria  de  la  Luz,  wife  of  Sal- 
vador Yallejo ;  Ramona,  wife  of  Ronnialdo  Pacheco  and  later 
of  John  Wilson,  who  lived  in  San  Francisco ;  ]\Iabel  Pacheco, 
who  was  married  to  Will.  Tevis ;  Juana  ;  and  Felecidad,  wife 
of  Victor  Castro. 

DO.AIIXGUEZ,  Cristobal.  Soldier  at  San  Diego  before  1800. 
Died  in  1825.  Rose  to  rank  of  sergeant,  and  was  grantee  of 
San  Pedro  ranch  in  1822.  His  wife  was  Maria  de  los  Reyes 
Ibanes.  at  whose  house  Alfred  Robinson  resided  while  in  San 
Diego,  in  1829.  and  to  whom  he  refers  as  "old  lady  Dominguez. " 
Part  of  the  American  troops  were  quartered  at  her  house  in  the 
iMexican  War.  Their  children  were  Maria  Victoria,  who  was 
married  to  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo ;  Luis  Gonzaga  ;  ]\Ianuel,  who 
is  mentioned  by  Robinson  as  Gale's  brother-in-law  at  San  Diego 
in  182!) ;  ^laria  Francisca  Alarcelina,  who  was  married  to  Wil- 
liam A.  Gale  and  went  to  Boston  to  live ;  jNIaria  Elena  Ramona ; 
Jose  Nasario ;  and  Pedro  Juan  Agapito. 

ECHEAXDIA,  Jose  :\raria.  Quite  a  little  has  been  said 
about  this,  the  only  governor  of  Califoi-nia  who  nuide  his  res- 
idence in  San  Diego.  A  few  more  personal  details  will  be  given 
at  this  place. 

Before  coming  to  California,  he  was  a  Lieutenant-Colonel 
connected  with  a  college  of  engineers  in  ]\Iexico.  Besides  Rob- 
inson's statement  that  he  was  "a  tall,  gaunt  personage,"  who 
received  him  "with  true  Spanish  dignity  and  politeness,"  we 
learn  from  Banci'oft  that  he  was  "tall,  slight  and  well 
formed,  with  fair  complexion,  hair  not  quite  l)lack,  scanty  beard 
.  .  .  and  a  pleasing  face  and  expression.  His  health  was 
very  delicate.  Tn  his  speech  he  affected  the  Castilian  pronun- 
ciation. noticcal)ly  in  giving  the  '11.'  'c'  and  'z'  their  proper 
sounds."  He  was  somewhat  absent-minded  at  times.  Some  of 
his  contemporaries  regarded  him  as  a  capricious  despot,  who  ' 
would  can-y  out  a  whim  without  regard  to  results;  others 
thought  he  lacked  energy  ;  and  still  others  say  he  was  popular, 
but  overindulgent  and  careless.  Pio  Pico  found  him  affable, 
but  apathetic.  Alfred  Robinson,  the  son-in-law  of  Captain  de  la 
Gueri-a  \-  Noriega,  who  strongly  opposed  Echeandia  in  the  mat- 
ter of  the  secularization  of  the  missions,  calls  him  "the  scourge 
of  California,  and  instigator  of  vice,  who  sowed  seeds  of  dis- 
honor not  to  l)e  extirpated  while  a  mission  remains  to  be 
robbed."  Wm.  A.  Gale  found  him  a  man  of  undecided  char- 
acter, trying  t(i   phnise  everybody. 


THE  ESTUDILLOS  169 

Ai'tci-  Icaviiiu  ("alil'oi'iiia  he  was  vci-y  jxioi-  until  18:^"),  wiicu, 
an  earthquake  havino-  dainai'ed  a  nuinl)ef  of  huildin^s,  his  ser- 
vices as  enuineer  wer(»  in  (hMiiand  and  he  Ijecame  ])n)sp(M-()iis. 
In  1855  lie  was  arrested  l)y  Santa  Ana  for  some  political  cause, 
but  released.  Two  st('i)-dauohters  took  care  of  him  in  his  old 
aixe,  and  he  died  before  1871. 

ESTl^DILLO.  Jose  Antonio.  Son  of  Jose  ^Maria,  born  at  :\ron- 
terey,  1805.  Grantee  of  house-lot  at  San  r)ie<>o,  1827.  In  1828-80 
was  revenue  collector  and  treasurer.  Grantee  of  Otay  rancho.  in 
1829.  ^lember  of  the  assembly  in  1888-5.  Keceived  a  <irant  of  the 
Temecula  rancho  in  1835.  In  1886-8  alcalde  and  jucz.  Arlmin- 
istrador  and  niajordtnno  at  San  Luis  Rev  in  1840-3  and  owner  of 
land  at  San  Juan  Capistrauo  in  1841.  Treasurer  in  1840.  Juez 
de  paz  in  1845-6.  Collector  in  1845.  Neutral  in  Mexican  War. 
First  county  assessoi-.  1850.  He  died  in  1852.  lie  was  a  man  of 
excellent  character  and  lar^e  intiuence.  His  wife  was  ]\Iaria 
Victoria,  daughter  of  Sergeant  Cristobal  and  Maria  de  los  R(wes 
Dominguez,  whom  he  married  in  1825.  Their  childi-eii  were: 
Jose  ]\Iaria.  who  mai-ried  a  dauuhter.  Luz.  of  Juan  .Mai'ia  ^\;\v- 
ron ;  Salvador,  married  Piedad  Altamirano.  sister  of  Jose  Ant. ; 
Jose  Guadalupe;  Jose  Antonio,  who  is  a  rancher  at  San  Jacinto; 
and  Francisco,  who  lives  at  San  Jacinto.  He  man-ied  first,  Car- 
men Roubid(mx,  dauuhter  of  the  celebrated  trappt'r;  second,  a 
daughter  of  Don  Jesus  ]\Iachado.  They  had  two  daugliters,  both 
of  whom  were  married  to  Jose  Antonio  Agnirre :  Francisca  l)eing 
his  first  wife,  and  ^Nlaria  del  Rosaria  his  second,  and  aftiM'ward 
marrying  Col.  flannel  A.  Ferrer.  Another  daughter,  Maria  Anto- 
nia.  was  married  to  ]\Iiguel  de  Pedrorena,  and  anoHier.  Concep- 
ciou.  was  the  first  wife  of  George  A.  Pendleton. 

ESTUDILLO,  Jose  Guadalupe.  Son  of  Jose  Antonio,  one 
of  the  niost  prominent  citizens  of  San  Diego  in  earlifu*  Amer- 
ican days.  County  Treasurer  from  1864  to  1875.  City  Coun- 
cilman of  San  Diego.  Treasurer  of  the  State  one  term.  Cash- 
ier of  the  Consolidated  Bank,  etc.  He  now  lives  in  Ijos  Angeles. 
He  married  Adelaide  ^lulholland. 

ESTUDILLO,  Jose  :\laria.  Lieutenant  of  the  :\ronterey  Com- 
pany in  1806-27.  and  ca])tain  of  the  San  Diego  Comjiany  from 
1827  till  his  death  in  1830.  He  may  be  said  to  have  lieen  the 
founder  of  the  Estudillo  family  in  California.  His  wife  was 
Gertrudis  Horcasitas.  Jose  Antonio,  mentioned  above,  was  the 
best  known  of  his  children.  He  also  had  Jose  Joacpiin.  who  lived 
on  the  San  Leandro  rancho,  near  San  Francisco  bay,  who.se  three 
daughters  all  married  AiiuM-icans — ]\[aria  de  Jesus  becoming  the 
wife  of  Wm.  Heath  Davis.  He  also  had  a  daughtei-.  Magdalena, 
who  was  grantee  of  part  of  the  Otay  ranch  1829.  and  a  daugh- 
ter who  married  Lieutenant  ^Fauuel  Gouiez. 


170  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

GUERRA  y  NORIEGA,  Jose  Antonio  de  la.   Native  of  Spain, 
born    Afarch    6.    1779.      Became    lieutenant    of    the    Monterey 
Company  and  came  to  California  1801.     Here  he."-™f '  "^ 
1804   Maria  Antonia.  daughter  of  Captani  Jose  Rannundo  Car- 
rillo      In  1806  came  to  San  Diego,  and  was  acting  commandant 
for  a  short  time  in  1806-7.     Had  difficulty  with   Capt.  Rmz. 
Acted  as  agent  for  sale  of  his  uncle's  goods,  shipped  from  Mex- 
fcf 'n  1808   and  profited  largely.    After  1817,  resided  at  Santa 
Barbara,  where  he  was  commandant  and  took  a  i>rominent  part 
in  public  affairs.    He  was  congressn.an  from  California  m  18^7 
and  the  following  year  named  by  Echeandia   m  a  list  ot  thos. 
2o  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance.     Candidate  for  position 
of  political  chief,  in  1837.     In  Mexican  War  was .  unfriendly  to 
U.  S.  but  remained  quiet.     Died  m  l<So8. 

Of  his  daughters,  Maria  de  las  Angus  las  born  1815,  was 
married  to  Manuel  Jimeno  Casarni,  and  later  to  Dl^  J.  D.  Urcl. 
Her  first  marriage  is  described  by  Robinson  m  his  Lie  ^nCah^ 
fornia,  page  142.  Ana  Maria,  born  1820  was  ^f ^"ed  to  Alf  ed 
Robinson,  and  died  in  1855.  Maria  Antonia,  born  182T,  mar- 
ried Cesario  Lataillade.  and  later  Caspar  Orena.  He  had  at 
at  seven  sons;  Antonio  Maria  born  1825  uever  man^d; 
Francisco,  born  1818,  died  in  1878 ;  Joaqum  born  1822.  ed 
before  1870 ;  Jose  Antonio,  born  180o ;  Juan  J  born  1810,  died 
unmarried:  Miguel,  born  1823;  Pablo,  born  1819. 

Captain  de  la  Guerra  y  Noriega  left  a  large  estate,  which  Ban- 
croft savs  his  sons  dissipated.  He  was  a  man  of  very  great  influ- 
ence to  the  day  of  his  death.  His  opinions  ^n  California joht. 
ieal  affairs  strongly  color  the  views  expressed  m  the  book  ot 
his  son-in-law,  Alfred  Robinson.  .         ,  ,  .   d^-,, 

LOPEZ  Bonifacio.  Son  of  Ignacio.  Jnez  de  campo  ^i  ^^n 
Dieo-o  1835.  In  charge  of  the  Mission,  1848.  Grand  nuror,  Sep- 
tember, 1850.  His  daughter,  Josefa,  married  Phdip  Crosthwaite. 
LOPEZ  Ic^nacio.  Soldier,  living  m  Mission  Valley,  i»^i. 
Father  of  Bonifacio  and  probably  others.  First  district  elector 
of  San  Die^o  1822,  and  elected  to  legislature.  Took  part  m 
revolution  of '  1831.  Jose  and  Juan  Lopez,  involved  m  same, 
probablv  his  sons.    Juez  de  campo.  1836. 

LORENZANA,  Apolinaria.  Was  one  of  the  foundl  ng  chil- 
dren sent  to  California  from  Mexico  in  1800,  and  lived  m  San 
Die-o  The  name,  Lorenzana.  was  that  of  the  archbishop  of 
Mexico,  given  to  all  foundlings.  She  never  married  but  was 
very  charitable  and  known  as  La  Beafa  [the  sister  of  charity-] . 
She  claimed  the  Jamacha  rancho,  but  lost  it  She  was  m  San 
Luis  Rev  in  1821-30.  and  later  assisted  Father  \icente  at  the 
San  Diego  Mission.  In  later  life  she  lived  at  Santa  Barbara, 
was  poor  and  blind  and  supported  by  charity.  She  dictated  for 
Bancroft  her  memoirs. 


A  ROLLICKING  PRIEST  171 

MACILVDO,  Jose  Manuel.     Corporal  of  th.  San  Die-o  Com 
pany     Had  quite  a  family  of  children,  aniono  them  dn'v4,tevs^ 
Guadahipe,  ^yhose  first  husband  was  Peter  Wilder   andlier  seo 
Olid    Albert  B.    Smith;   and   Jnana,   who   was   fii-^t   marr    d  to' 
Damasio  Alipas  and  second  to  Thomas  Wriohtin-ton  •  Ros-i    who 

™  t^::fi^. '  «'^"-^  -''  -^--:  "■'»-•- 

MARROX,  Juan  Maria.     Had  a  house  at  San  Die-o    1821 
?       7  ^''i'«.i''   ^'^^ol^^tion   of  183L     Second  rcgidor  ]h"^5-   first 
wf    /;  1836   and  owner  of  the  Cueros  de  Venado  rancho.  wliich 
was  attacked  by  Indians.     Juez,  1839-40-44.     Owner  of  land  at 

I"ci^"l4^'^'1)"l''  ^''}-    Z'^"?'*^^    ''   *^^   ^^"^    11^^^- 
Kancho,    1842.      Died,    September    19,    1853.      Married   Felina 

daughter  of  Juan  Maria  Osuna  and  Juliana  Lopez.     Daithter'. 

M  AT^^'ov'^qT^  f ''  ^^a'"^'  Estudillo.    Had  a  son,  Sylvester: 
MARROA,  Sylvester.     Son  of  Juan  Maria  and  Felipa  Osuna 
Marron,  married  Leonora  Osuna.     Thev  had  cliildren  •  Felipa 
who  was  married  to  J.  Chauncey  Hayes,  now  of  Oceanside;  and 
another  daughter  became  the  wife  of  John  S.  Barker     He  mar 
ried  a  second  time,  and  lives  at  Buena  Vista    Cal 

MExXENDEZ    Father  Antonio.     Was  a  Dominican  friar  who 

and'cnT't  r"p  "•!,^  Echeandia  in  1825  and  was  chaplain 
and  cure  at  the  Presidio  until  1829  at  an  irregular  salarv  of 
$lo  a  month.  His  part  m  the  Fitch-Carrillo  elopement  has  been 
related.  In  December,  1828,  his  name  appears  \n  a  list  of  Span 
lards  who  had  taken  the  oath  of  alleoiance.  From  August  to 
December  of  this  year  he  taught  a  school  in  San  Dieo-o  had  18 
pupils  enrolled,  and  M^as  paid  the  same  munificent  salarv  He 
was  chaplain  of  the  assembly  which  met  at  Santa  Barbara 
from  July  to  October,  1830. 

His    character    seems    to    put    him    in    the    class    with    the 
coarser     Mexican     priests     who     followed     the     Spanish     mis- 
sionaries.    In  fact  he  illustrated  the  old  savin-  of  "the  world 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil."  in  an  unusual  degree.     -Men's  souls 
for  heaven,"  says  Bancroft,  "but  women  for  himself  he  loved 
and  wnie  and  cards."     Pio  Pico,  who  was  then  a   vonno.  man 
engaged  in  trading  with  Lower  California,    phiyed  "cards  with 
him,  with  varying  fortune.     On  one  occasion  in  San  Die-o.  after 
Menenclez  had,   m   a  game  of  cards,   despoih^d   Pico  of  all  his 
stock  of  sugar,  he  added  insnlt  to  injnrv  hv  Imrlin-  at  him  a 
couplet  which  may  be  translated:  '      ' 

"Christ  came  to  ransom  man  of  woman  born  ■ 
He  sought  his  sheep,  himself  departed  .shorn."" 
OSTTNA    Juan  ]\Iaria.     Born   in   California   before  1800       V 
soldier  and  corporal  of  the  San  Diego  Company,  and  later  a  set- 
tler.    District  elector  in   1830,  and  took  part  in  revohition  of 


172  HISTORY    OF  SAN   DIEGO 

18.'31.  Was  the  first  aJcaldi  of  Sai*  Diego,  183o,  juez  de  paz  in 
1831)-4()  and  IS-Ki.  (Jrantee  of  San  Diegiiito  in  1836-45.  Died 
about  1847.  Daughter  Felipe  uuinicd  to  -luau  Maria  Marron. 
Had  sous  Leandro  and  Ramon. 

(JSFXA,  Leandro.  Sou  of  Juan  Maria;  took  part  in  tight  at 
San  Pasqual,  December,  1846.  He  conmiitted  suicide  by  shoot- 
ing himself  through  heai-t,  Api'il  3,  1851).  Tlis  son  Julio  married 
Chipita  Crosthwaite. 

OSrXA,  Ramon.  Coinisdrio  di  poiuia,  1839.  Collector  of 
tithes,  1839.  Grantee  of  Valle  de  los  Viejas,  1846.  INIember  of 
first  grand  .jurv  at  San  Diego,  September,  1850. 

PEDRORENA,  ]\Iignel  de.  The  liest  biographical  sketch  of 
this  mnch  respected  citizen  is  that  coiitained  in  Wm.  Heath 
Davis's  Sixfij  Years  hi   CaJifoniUi.     lie  says: 

In  1838  Don  Migufl  de  l^tdrdiciia,  a  resident  of  Peru,  ar- 
rived here,  being  at  the  time  part  owner  and  supercargo  of 
the  Dehnird.  .  .  .  Don  ]Miguel  was  a  native  of  Spain,  and 
Ijelonged  to  one  (if  the  liest  families  of  Madrid.  After  receiv- 
ing an  education  in  liis  own  country  he  was  sent  to  London, 
where  he  was  educated  in  English,  becoming  ii  complete  schol- 
ar. Most  of  the  Castilian  race  of  the  upper  class  are  proud 
and  aristocratic;  ])ut  Don  Miguel,  though  of  high  birth,  was 
exceedingly  affable,  polite,  gracious  in  manner  and  bearing, 
ami,  in  every  respect,  a  true  gentleman.  He  married  a  daugli- 
ter  of  ])rcfect  Estudillo,  and  resided  in  8an  Diego  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1850,  leaving  one  son,  Miguel,  and  two 
daughters,  Elena  and  Ysabel.  He  was  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention at  Monterey  in  18-19,  for  the  formation  of  the  state 
constitution.  He  owned  the  ('ajon  Eaneho  and  the  San  Jacinto 
Nuevo  Bancho,  each  containing  eleven  leagues,  with  some  cat- 
tle and  horses.  Xotwithstanding  these  large  holdings  of  lands 
he  was  in  rather  straitened  circumstances  in  his  later  years, 
and  so  nmch  in  need  of  money  that  when  I  visited  San  Diego  in 
tlie  early  ])art  of  1850  he  offered  to  sell  me  thirty-two  quarter- 
blocks  (102  lots)  in  San  Diego  at  a  low-  figure.  He  had  ac- 
quired the  property  in  the  winter  of  1849-50,  at  the  alcalde's 
sale.  1  did  not  care  for  the  land  but  being  flush,  and  having 
n  large  income  from  my  business,  T  took  the  land,  paying 
him  thirteen  or  fourtetn  hundi'ed  dollars  for  it. 

In  Madrid  he  had  several  brothers  and  utiu  r  relatives,  one 
of  his  brothers  being  at  that  time  a  Minister  in  the  cabinet  of 
the  reigning  monarch.  During  the  last  two  or  three  years  of  his 
life  those  relatives  became  aware  of  his  unfortunate  circum- 
stances and  wrote  to  him  repeatedly,  urging  him  to  come  home 
to  Sjtain  and  liring  his  family  with  liini.  They  sent  him  means 
and  assured  him  that  he  would  be  welcomed.  Though  poor, 
his  ]>roud  disposition  hd  him  to  decline  all  these  offers.  Popu- 
lar with  everybody  in  the  dejiartment,  the  recollections  of  him 
by   tliuse   who   knew   him  were  exceedingly  pleasant. 

He  settled  at  San  Diego  in  1845,  liaviug  married  Maria  Anto- 
iiia  Estudillo,  danghtei-  of  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo.     He  strongly 


THE  PICOS,  FATHER  AND  SONS  173 

f;i\(if('(l  1li('  .\mericaii  side  in  the  war  of  184(1,  and  had  a  cav- 
alry command  with  the  rank  of  captain.  lie  built  one  of  the 
first  frame  houses  in  Old  Town,  Avhich  is  still  standin<»'  near  the 
parsonage.  In  the  late  ()0's  it  was  used  as  the  office  of  the  Uuion. 
He  was  collector  of  customs  in  1847-8.  In  1850,  with  Wm.  Heath 
Davis  and  others  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  new  San  Diego. 
He  died  March  21,  1850.  His  only  son  was  Miguel  de  Pedro- 
rena.  horn  at  Old  Town  in  1844,  and  died  at  his  ranch  in  JamnI 
Valley,  December  25,  1882.  He  married  Nellie  Burton,  daugh- 
ter of  General  H.  S.  Burton  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  at  the  Horton 
House  in  New  San  Diego,  Dec.  25,  1875.  His  sister  Ysabel  was 
married  to  Jose  Antonio  Altamirano.  She  was  born  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  American  tiag  was  raised  at  Old  Town  (July 
29.  1846),  a  circumstance  of  which  the  family  is  very  proud. 
Victoria  was  married  to  Henry  Magee,  an  army  officer  from  the 
state  of  New  York,  of  excellent  family.  Elena  mai-ried  Jose 
Wolfskin  and  lives  at  Los  Angeles. 

PICO,  Andres.  Son  of  Jose  Maria,  borji  at  San  Diego,  1810. 
In  1836-8,  was  elector  and  receptor  of  customs,  and  in  charge  of 
Jamul  rancho.  Took  an  active  part  in  the  uprisings  against  the 
Monterey  government  and  was  several  times  a  prisoner.  In 
1839-42  was  lieutenant  of  the  San  Diego  Company,  served  as 
elector,  was  in  charge  of  San  Luis  Rey,  and  obtained  lands  at 
Santa  ]\rargarita.  San  Juan  Capistrano.  and  Temecula.  AVas  in 
command  at  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual  and  in  subsequent  oper- 
ations. JNIade  treaty  with  Fremont  at  Cahuenga  which  ended 
the  Avar.  Did  not  return  to  San  Diego,  but  engaged  in  mining 
and  land  litigation.  Represented  the  counties  of  Los  Angeles, 
San  Bernardino,  and  San  Diego  in  the  State  Senate,  in  1860-1. 
Was  a  Democratic  ])residential  elector  from  California,  1852. 
He  never  married.  He  was  a  brave  and  popular  man.  but  coarse 
and  unscrupulous.     Died  in  1876. 

PICO,  Jose  Antonio  Bernardo.  Son  of  Jose  JNIaria.  Born  at 
San  Diego  about  1794.  Member  of  the  San  Diego  Company, 
and  clerk  in  1817.  Sergeant,  1828,  lieutenant,  1834,  and  com- 
missioner to  secularize  San  Juan  Capistrano,  1834-6.  Went  to 
Monterey,  1838.  Grantee  of  Agua  Caliente  Rancho  in  1840  and 
left  the  military  service.  Grantee  of  San  Luis  Rey,  1846.  Mar- 
ried Soledad  Ybarra,  1828 ;  died  at  San  Diego,  1871.  He  was  a 
lively  old  man.  full  of  .jokes,  and  nicknamed  Picito  [Little  Pico] 
by  reason  of  his  small  stature.  Wilkes  ridicules  him  in  his  ac- 
eonnt,  1841.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Mexican  War  and  second 
in  command  under  his  brother  Andres,  (biring  the  operations 
around  San  Diego. 

PICO,  Jose  Maria.  Founder  of  the  Pico  family  of  Southern 
California.  Son  of  Santiago  Pico  of  Sinaloa.  Soldier  of  the 
San  Diego  Company  from  1782.  also  at  San  Luis  Rey.     Died  at 


174  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

San  Gabriel  in  1819.  llis  wife  was  Maria  Estaquia  Lopez,  a 
native  of  Sonora,  whom  he  married  in  1789.  Their  three  sons 
were  Andres.  Jose  Antonio  Bernardo,  and  Pio.  They  had  seven 
daughters :  Concepcion.  who  was  married  to  Domingo  A.  I.  Car- 
rillo;  Estefana  and  Jacinta,  who  were  married  to  Jose  A.  E. 
Carrillo,  the  brother  of  Domingo ;  Ysadora,  who  became  the 
wife  of  John  Forster;  Tomasa,  who  married  an  Alvarado ;  and 
Feliciana. 

PICO,  Pio.  As  a  resident  of  San  Diego  Avho  became  gov- 
ernor, Pio  Pico  is  a  figure  of  much  interest.  He  was  born  at 
San  Gabriel  in  1801,  and  removed  to  San  Diego  after  his  father's 
death,  in  1819.  He  kept  a  small  shop  there.  Gambled  with 
Father  iMenendez  with  varying  fortune ;  lost  all  he  had  at  San 
Vicente,  Lower  California,  and  later  won  twelve  mules  and 
stripped  the  padre,  at  San  Diego.  Built  a  house  at  old  San 
Diego  in  1824.  Once  on  going  to  Los  Angeles  for  a  visit,  he 
was  ordered  by  Alcalde  Avila,  described  as  an  ignorant  fellow 
who  ruled  by  the  sword,  to  go  to  work  on  an  aqueduct;  but 
being  on  horseback  and  armed  with  a  musket,  he  escaped  and 
returned  to  San  Diego.  In  1821  he  put  up  a  hide  hut  at  Los 
Angeles  and  opened  a  dram  shop,  the  |)rice  of  a  drink  being 
"two-bits."  Introduced  the  use  of  an  ox-horn  to  drink  from, 
Avith  a  false  wooden  bottom  to  reduce  the  quantity  of  liquor. 

Mrs.  Carson  once  met  him  going  to  the  races ;  he  had  his  mule 
panniers  loaded  down  with  silver  which  he  was  taking  to  bet 
on  the  horse. 

Was  clerk  in  a  trial  at  San  Diego,  1826.  Senior  vocal  of  assem- 
bly, 1832,  and  chosen  political  chief  after  expulsion  of  Victoria 
same  year,  but  only  acted  twenty  days.  3Iajordomo  San  Luis 
Eey  Mission,  1834.  Candidate  for  alcalde,  December,  1834,  but 
defeated.  Elector,  1836.  1837-9,  active  against  Alvarado 's 
government  and  more  than  once  a  prisoner.  Played  an  active 
and  not  always  creditable  part,  in  troubles  of  this  time.  Became 
governor  in  1845,  and  was  the  last  Mexican  governor. 

In  1841,  grantee  of  Santa  INIargarita  and  Las  Flores  Ranchos. 
Conveyed  the  former  to  his  brother-in-law.  John  Forster,  and 
there  was  a  noted  contest  for  it  in  later  years  in  the  courts,  but 
Forster  won  and  retained  the  valuable  propery.  He  married 
Maria  Ignacia  Alvarado  in  1834.  He  spent  his  later  years  in 
Los  Angeles  and  wrote  quite  a  little  concerning  California  his- 
torv'.  His  character  has  been  variously  estimated  and  he  has  been 
much  abused  for  various  causes.  It  is  not  possible  to  discuss 
these  matters  here.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  little  edu- 
cation and  only  moderate  intelligcMice ;  fairly  honest  but  with- 
out any  gifts  of  statesmanship  which  would  have  qualified  him 
for  important  achievements  in  the  difficult  times  in  which  he 
lived.    Neai'ly  all  the  magazines  have  contained,  at  various  times, 


FATHER  UBACH  175 

"write-ups"  of  the  Pico  fninily,  and  attacks  or  defenses  of  his 
administration. 

ROCIIA,  Juan  Jose.  Mexican  lieutenant  who  came  with 
Echeandia  in  1825,  under  sentence  of  banishment  from  Mexico 
for  two  years.  Held  different  commands,  at  Monterey  and  else- 
where. Gave  a  ball  in  honor  of  the  Hijar  colony,  1834.  Mar- 
ried Elena  Dominguez.  Spent  his  last  years  in  San  Diego. 
Father  of  Manuel  Rocha,  who  w'as  a  member  of  the  first  grand 
jury  at  San  Diego,  in  September,  1850. 

RUIZ,  Francisco  Maria.  Native  of  Lower  California.  At 
Santa  Barbara  from  1795,  and  from  180G  commandant  at  San 
Diego.  Made  captain  in  1820  and  retired  in  1827.  Grantee  of 
the  Pefiasquitas  Rancho,  and  died  in  1839,  at  age  of  about  85. 
Never  married. 

He  was  the  son  of  Jnnn  ^laria  Ruiz  and  Isabel  Carrillo,  both 
of  distinguished  families.  His  father  was  killed  by  a  lion.  His 
brother,  Jose  Manuel,  was  governor  of  Lower  Califoi-nia.  He 
was  a  man  of  violent  temper  and  quarrelsome  disposition,  and 
had  serious  difficulty  with  his  relative.  Captain  de  la  Guerra  >■ 
Noriega,  whom  he  knocked  down.  He  was  also  somewhat  dis- 
sipated. He  seems  to  have  been  well  liked  locally,  notwithstand- 
ing his  many  faults. 

SERRANO,  Jose  Antonio,  son  of  Leandro  Serrano.  ^Tarried 
Rafaela,  daughter  of  Rosario  Aguilar.  Their  children  were: 
Jesus,  who  is  about  seventy-five  years  of  age  and  lives  at  Ven- 
tura ;  Luis,  born  March  12,  1816,  married  Serafina  Stewart, 
daughter  of  John  C.  Stewart,  and  lives  in  San  Diego ;  Rosa, 
who  was  married  to  Andrew  Cassidy ;  and  Adelaide,  wlio  was  the 
first  wife  of  Sam  Ames,  of  Old  Town. 

Jose  Antonio  Serrano  was  a  horse  and  cattle  man.  He  served 
under  Pico  in  the  IMexican  War,  and  was  engaged  at  the  battle 
of  San  Pasqual. 

TTBACH,  Father  Antonio  D.  Native  of  Catalonia.  Edu- 
cated for  a  missionary  priest  at  Cape  Girardeau,  Missoui-i,  and 
had  traveled  thousands  of  miles  as  a  missionary  among  the  Indi- 
ans. He  came  to  San  Diego  in  1866,  and  had  been  in  charge 
of  the  Catholic  parish  here  ever  since.  Had  a  dispensation 
which  allowed  him  to  wear  a  beard.  He  had  Moorish  blood  in 
his  veins.  He  brought  the  first  organ  to  San  Diego.  In  early 
days  after  the  morning  services  were  over,  he  would  bring  out 
a  football  which  he  brought  with  him  here,  and  play  with  tlie 
boys  on  the  plaza.  He  had  the  dagger  of  the  celebrated  bandit, 
Joaquin  ^Murietta.  He  had  also  had  charge  of  a  large  number 
of  valuable  relics  of  early  Spanish  days,  including  vestments, 
books  of  record,  etc.,  from  the  old  mission. 

He  was  the  "Father  Gaspara"  of  Mrs.  Jackson's  T^atnona. 
a  circumstance  which  gave  him  wide  fame  and  made  him  an 


176  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

object  of  extraordinary  interest  to  all  strangers.  For  many 
years  he  refused  to  discuss  the  truth  of  the  incidents  of  the 
story,  but  in  the  Sa)i  Diego  Vnion  of  June  25,  1905,  he  spoke 
of  the  marriage  of  Eamona  as  follows : 

"Although  it  took  place  forty  years  ago,  I  remember  it  vei-y 
well — how  the  couple  came  to  me  and  asked  me  to  marry  them 
and  how  I  was  impressed  with  them.  But  it  was  not  in  the 
long  adobe  building  Avhich  everybody  points  out  as  the  place 
— that  is  the  Estudillo  place — but  it  took  place  in  the  little 
church  which  stands  not  far  away,  near  the  old  cemetery  where 
the  old  mission  bells  are.  Why,  I  would  not  marry  them  out- 
side of  the  church ;  Catholics  know  that.  ]Mrs.  Jackson  herself 
says  that  the  wedding  took  place  in  the  chapel,  and  I  can't 
imagine  why  the  other  building  is  the  one  that  is  usually 
pointed  out. 

"Do  I  know  who  Alessandro  and  Ramona  were?  Yes.  but 
those  were  not  their  real  names.  I  know  what  their  right 
names  were,  but  I  do  not  care  to  tell.  ]\Irs.  Jackson  suppressed 
them  because  she  did  not  care  to  subject  the  families  to  the 
notoriety  that  they  would  lie  sure  to  get  from  the  publication 
of  the  book.  They  were  native  families  who  lived  in  the  coun- 
try, and  I  was  well  acquainted  with  them.  I  have  never  men- 
tioned their  names  to  anyone  and  of  course  I  don't  want  to 
do  so  now." 

In  1871  he  laid  out  the  present  Catholic  cemetery  on  the  hill 
back  of  old  San  Diego.  In  1878-80,  he  went  home  and  visited 
his  people  in  Catalonia.  A  large  part  of  his  work  here  has 
been  among  the  Indians,  with  whom  he  has  had  great  influ- 
ence. The  corner  stone  of  the  unfinished  church  at  Old  Town 
was  laid  in  July,  1869,  but  he  was  destined  to  be  unable  to 
finish  it.  Three  years  later,  a  movement  for  a  new  building  in 
ncAV  San  Diego  was  commenced,  and  in  1875  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  occupying  a  comf(n'table  building  on  what  was  then 
mesa  lands  west  of  the  new  town.  The  present  brick  church 
was  completed  and  occupied  in   1891. 

Father  Ubach  died  at  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  on  the  afternoon 
of  Saturday,  .March  27,  1907.  He  had  been  in  failing  health 
for  several  months,  but  insisted  upon  pursuing  his  accustomed 
tasks  until  he  could  no  longer  appear  in  public.  His  death, 
though  not  unexpected,  impressed  the  community  ]n'ofoundly. 
It  was  the  sundering  of  the  last  link  which  connected  the  new 
day  with  the  olden  time,  for  Father  Ubach  was  in  truth  "the 
last  of  the  padres."  His  funeral,  which  occurred  in  his 
church  on  the  forenoon  of  Wednesday,  April  2d,  was  exceed- 
ingly impressive.  Bishop  Conaty  conducted  the  elaborate  cer- 
emonies and  pronounced  the  eulogy.  The  church  was  filled  to 
overflowing,  while  thousands  of  mourners  remained  outside  the 


ZAMORANO  177 

buildiii;^.  Among'  the  mass  of  tioral  emljlems  iiothiiiy'  was  more 
toiiehiiig  than  the  Avild  flowers  sent  by  the  Indians  from  the 
mountains.  The  historic  priest  sleeps  in  the  Catholic  cemetery 
on  the  mesa,  which  overlooks  the  scene  of  his  labors. 

ZAMORANO,  Auynstin  Vicente.  Was  a  native  of  Florida, 
his  parents  being  Spaniards.  He  received  a  good  education  and 
entered  the  army  May  1,  1821.  as  a  cadet.  After  service  in 
j\Iexico  he  came  to  California  in  1825  with  Echeandia.  and 
served  as  the  governor's  secretary  for  five  years.  In  Fcbruai-y, 
1827.  he  married  Maria  Lnisa,  daughter  of  Santiago  Argiiello. 
In  1831,  he  was  made  captain  of  the  Monterey  company.  He 
left  California  in  1838,  but  returned  in  1812  and  died  the  same 
year  in  San  Diego.  His  children  were :  Dolores,  born  1827, 
married  to  J.  M.  Flores ;  Luis,  born  in  1829  and  now  lives  in 
San  Diego;  Gonzalo,  born  in  1832;  Guadalupe,  Ixn-n  in  1833, 
married  to  Henry  Dalton ;  Josefa.  born  in  1834;  Augustin,  1836; 
Eulalia,  married  to  Vicente  Estudillo. 

His  political  career  was  an  active  and  stormy  one.  In  1827-8 
he  w'as  a  district  elector  for  San  Diego;  candidate  for  congress 
1830;  secretary  to  Figueroa  in  1833-5.  Proclaimed  commander 
general  and  governor  ad  interim  in  1837,  and  divided  the  jui'is- 
diction  of  the  territory  with  Echeandia  for  a  time.  He  left  Cali- 
fornia at  the  fall  of  Guiterez,  but  returned  to  tal<e  part  in  the 
campaign  against  Alvarado,  without  achieving  anything  of 
consequence. 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  INDIANS'   RELATIONS  WITH  THE    SETTLERS 

HE  relations  of  the  Indian  population  with  the 
.Mission  Fathers  have  been  sketched  in  earlier 

Tykj\  chapters,  but  we  have  still  to  study  the  natives 
lA/  ''■'*  tlit'.v  appeared  to  the  people  of  Old  San 
\^  I  Dic^i^o.  The  general  observations  made  upon 
tile  Indian  character  hold  good  in  both  cases, 
and  we  nmst  never  forget  that  the  course  of 
local  history  might  have  been  very  different 
if  the  natives  of  this  region  had  possessed  the  warlike  traits  and 
organizing  genius  of  their  brothers  in  most  other  parts  of  North 
America.  In  that  case,  San  Diego  could  not  have  been  settled 
at  the  time  and  in  the  manner  it  was.  It  would  have  taken 
more  than  a  handful  of  inditferent  soldiers  to  hold  it  against 
such  pressure  from  without. 

The  Indians  of  this  locality  belonged  to  a  number  of  tribes, 
varying  somewhat  in  language  and  customs.  Those  living 
around  the  liay  furnished  most  of  the  mission  converts,  and 
proved  far  more  tractable  than  the  hill  tribes.  The  latter  were 
"rounded  up"  and  brought  in  by  force  occasionally,  but  had 
a  habit  of  escaping  at  the  first  opportunity.  The  destruction 
of  the  Mission  in  1775  was  due  to  these  half-wild  Indians,  and 
they  also  provided  the  Spanish  and  ]\Ie.xican  soldiers  Avith  their 
excuse  for  being,  in  the  bi-ief  intervals  between  their  own  petty 
revolutions.  But  the  Indians  were  slow  to  give  up  their  own 
language,  much  as  it  has  been  derided.  It  is  of  record  that  the 
fi-iars  failed  utterly  for  several  years  to  teach  them  Spanish, 
and  had  to  i-esort  to  the  expedient  of  learning  the  Indian  dia- 
lect, themselves.  Some  of  them  became  somewhat  expert  and 
able  to  preach  to  the  Indians  in  their  own  language.  An  inter- 
esting relic  of  this  circumstance  exists  in  the  shape  of  the  Lord's 
Prayer  done  into  Dieguino,  as  follows: 

Nagua  anall  amai  taeaguaeh  nagiianetimxp  mamamiilpo 
ciiyuaca  amaibo  maiiiatain  meyayam,  caimaao  aniat  amaibo 
quexuic  eehasau  naguagui  nanacachon  naquin  iiipi]  iiieneque 
pao  eclieyuehapo  nagua  quexuic  nagnaich  nacaguailipo,  nania- 
chamelan  upchuch-giielich-euiapo.  Nacuiuclipanijieiicliiich  cuitpo- 
namat.     Nepeuja. 


THE  DIEGUENOS  179 

In   Bjii'tlett's   Personal    Surrative,   is   a   brief   account   of   his 
stru<»gle  willi  111  is  language,  while  here  in  1852: 

No  evput  tluit  is  wortliy  of  iiuutioii  occurred,  except  a  visit 
from  a  band  of  Diegueno  Indians.  The  chief  and  several  of 
his  tribe  wore  sent  to  nie  at  my  request  by  a  California n  gen- 
tleman. They  were  a  miserable,  ill-looking  set,  with  dark- 
brown  complexions  and  emaciated  bodiesj  and,  though  the  weath- 
er was  cold,  they  were  but  slightly  clad.  Articles  of  old  and 
cast-off  clothing,  such  as  a  tattered  shirt  and  pantaloons,  were 
all  that  the  best  could  boast  of.  One.  I  think  the  chief,  had  a 
piece  of  horse-blanket  around  his  cadaverous-looking  l)ody.  I 
managed  to  get  from  them  a  vocabulary  of  their  language; 
though  I  must  confess  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  Apache. 
I  never  found  one  so  difficult  to  express,  in  consequence  of  the 
gutturals  and  nasals  with  which  it  abounded.  I  finally  got  the 
words  so  correct,  that  the  Indians  could  recognize  them,  and 
give  me  the  Spanish  equivalents.  I  tried  to  write  down  some 
short  sentences,  but  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  attempt  as  un- 
successful. I  could  not  combine  the  words  so  as  to  be  under- 
stood, in  a  single  instance.  These  Indians  occupy  the  coast  for 
some  fifty  miles  above,  and  about  the  same  distance  below  San 
Diego,  and  extend  about  a  hundred  miles  into  the  interior.  They 
are  the  same  who  were  known  to  the  first  settlers  as  the  Comcya 
tribe. 

Dana  has  also  left  his  opinion  on  record,  whicli  is  worth 
reproducing:  "The  language  of  these  people  ...  is  the 
most  brutish,  without  any  exception,  that  I  ever  heard,  or  that 
could  be  conceived  of.  It  is  a  complete  slabber.  The  words  fall 
oft'  at  the  ends  of  their  tongues,  and  a  continual  slabbering 
sound  is  made  in  the  cheeks  outside  the  teeth." 

Not  only  had  they  no  written  language  of  their  owji,  h\\\  they 
w^ere  provided  with  no  facilities  for  accjuiring  one  from  their 
uew  masters.  The  friars  were  not  merely  indifferent  to  the  edu- 
cation of  the  Indians — they  were  inflexibly  opposed  to  it.  Not 
even  their  favorite  neophytes  were  permitted  to  learn  to  read, 
and  their  servants  learned  only  such  things  as  would  aid  them 
in  providing  for  their  masters'  comfort.  At  a  time  when  the 
territorial  governors  were  utterly  unable  to  provide  for  tlie  edu- 
cation of  the  genie  ele  razon,  it  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that 
they  could  do  anything  for  the  Indians,  w^ho  were  under  the 
especial  care  and  .iurisdiction  of  the  missionaries.  To  the  sol- 
diers, the  Indians  were  despised  foes:  to  the  citizens,  they  were 
inefficient  and  troublesome  servants. 

The  employment  of  Indians  as  hoiis(>  servants  was  general, 
for  they  Avere  very  cheap.  They  were  held  under  a  strict  dis- 
cipline and  not  infrequently  thrashed,  as  it  was  claimed  tliat 
in  many  cases  they  would  not  work  without  their  regular  casti- 
gation.  While  Wm.  H.  Davis  and  Captain  Paty  were  dining 
with  Captain  Thomas  W.  Bobbins  at  Santa  Barbara  in  1842.  he 


180  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

told  them  about  an  Indian  cook  whom  he  had  had  in  his  employ 
for  years,  but  who  had  to  be  soundly  thrashed  about  twice  a  year 
to  keep  him  in  order  the  rest  of  the  time.  To  prove  this  to  his 
incredulous  guests,  he  called  the  cook,  a  man  weighing  200 
pounds  or  more,  who  laughingly  confessed  the  truth  of  the 
stateuKMit.  It  is  related  that  Philip  Crosthwaite  had  a  numl)er 
of  Indians  working  for  him,  and  sometimes  they  grew  lazy  and 
refused  to  work.  Then  he  tied  them  up  one  at  a  time,  and  gave 
them  a  good  whipping,  whereupon  they  went  to  work  again. 
They  did  not  ajjpear  to  resent  such  treatment,  but  acquiesced 
in  its  necessity.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  custom  to  beat  them 
for  other  causes,  without  "due  process  of  law,"  in  earlier  days. 
In  1843,  a  San  Diego  man  was  fined  fifty  dollars  because  his 
wife  had  severely  beaten  an  Indian  servant.  The  missionaries 
did  not  hesitate  to  punish  them  for  a  variety  of  trivial  offenses. 
Solitary  confinement  was  a  favorite  form  of  discipline,  but 
sometimes  the  good  fathers  would  take  them  across  their  knees 
and  administer  the  sort  of  castigation  that  is  supposed  to  be 
the  exclusive  perquisite  of  small  boys.  In  a  few  instances,  the 
mission  discipline  was  so  severe  as  to  lead  to  bloody  rebellions, 
but  nothing  of  this  kind  occurred  at  San  Diego. 

The  story  of  the  Indian,  since  known  to  white  men,  is  largely 
a  story  of  insurrections,  crimes,  and  executions.  There  were  men 
of  good  character  among  them,  but  they  were  "as  two  grains 
of  wheat  hid  in  a  bushel  of  chaff."  The  story  of  these  early 
troubles  can  only  be  briefly  sketched. 

Their  first  raid  on  the  ^lission  seems  to  have  been  inspired  by 
a  desire  to  i)luiider.  coupled  with  profound  ignorance  of  the 
Avhite  man's  methods  of  w^arfare. 

The  destruction  of  the  first  mission,  in  1775,  was  followed  by 
an  aftermath  of  troubles  of  various  kinds.  An  Indian  called 
Carlos,  who  had  been  a  leader  in  the  revolt,  professed  repent- 
ance and  took  refuge  in  the  Presidio  church.  General  Rivera 
ordered  Father  Fuster  to  deny  the  fugitive  the  right  of  asylum, 
and  upon  his  refusal,  forcibly  entered  the  church  and  carried 
the  Indian  off'.  Fuster  thereupon  exconnnunicated  Rivera  and 
was  sustained  by  Serra  when  the  matter  came  to  his  attention 
at  ^Monterey.  An  excommunication  was  a  very  serious  thing, 
in  those  days,  even  with  the  militai-y.  and  Rivera  was  finally 
obliged  to  submit  and  return  the  Indian  to  Fuster. 

Four  Pamo  chiefs  concerned  in  this  uprising,  named  Aaaran, 
Aalcuirin,  Aachil,  and  Taguagui,  were  convicted  but  pardoned 
upon  pi-omise  of  good  behavior.  Two  years  later,  at  the  time 
of  an  Indian  scare,  when  it  was  reported  that  the  hill  tribes 
were  making  arrows  with  the  intention  of  again  attacking  the 
whites.  Commandant  Ortega  sent  a  message  of  warning,  and 
Aaaran  defiantlv  invited  him  to  send  his  soldiers  into  the  hills 


TWENTY  PAIRS  OF  EARS 


181 


to  be  slaiiJ.  Eight  .sokliers  went  forth,  sni'[)i'ised  the  savaj^es 
at  Panio,  killed  two  of  them,  burned  a  few  more,  and  HoKuod 
the  rest.  The  four  chiefs  were  taken  to  San  Diego  foi-  trial, 
along  with  80  bows,  1500  arrows,  and  a  large  numljer  of  clubs. 
The  men  were  condemned  to  death  and  executed  by  shooting 
on  the  11th  day  of  April,  1778 — the  first  pu])lic  execution  in 
California.  It  turned  out  that  this  first  execution  was  illegal, 
Ortega  having  no  right  to  infiict  the  death  penalty  without  the 
approval  of  the  governor. 

Aftcu'  this,  matters  seem  to  have  l)een  quiet  for  several  years. 
On  October  30,  1824,  an  Indian  was  executed  by  shooting,  his 
offense  not  l)eing  disclosed  b\-   tlie  records.      Two   years  later. 


^js^-,. 


VIEW   OF   OLD   SAN   DIEGO 

Panorama  of  Old  Town  from  Presidio  Hill,  taken  soon  after  the   fire  of   1872,   showing  the 

river  running  into  San  Diego  Bay 


Lieutenant  YInirra,  with  a  small  force  of  Mazatlan  men,  had 
a  battle  with  the  Indians  and  lost  three  men,  while  killing 
twenty-eight  of  the  foe.  After  the  barbarous  custom  of  the  time, 
he  sent  in  twenty  pairs  of  ears.  On  April  23rd  of  this  year,  an 
Indian  who  was  an  accomplice  to  the  killing  of  thi-ee  soldiers 
and  a  neo]>hyte  was  jmblicly  executed.  There  was  also  a  battle 
between  tlie  Indians  of  San  Felipe  Valley  and  gentih's  from 
the  surrounding  rancherias,  in  which  eighteen  of  tlie  hill  Indi- 
ans were  killed  and  their  ears  cut  off. 

The  troul)les  and  petty  wars  with  the  Indians  during  these 
years  were  chiefly  due  to  their  raids  on  the  missions  and  i-anchos 
for   the    purpose   of   stealing   horses   and   cattle.      Occasionally 


182  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

some  of  their  number  who  had  been  at  the  missions  returned  to 
their  old  haunts  and  led  these  raids.  The  rancheros  got  together 
after  such  a  raid,  and  went  into  the  hills  in  parties  of  ten  or 
twelve,  ^vell  armed,  to  punish  the  thieves  and  recover  the  live 
stock.  They  were  usually  successful  in  recovering  the  stolen 
property,  but  often  had  fierce  fights  in  which  as  many  as  eight 
or  ten  of  the  Indians  were  killed,  as  well  as  an  occasional 
ranchero.  After  the  secularization  of  the  missions,  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Indians  became  very  miserable,  and  while  large 
numliei's  of  them  continued  to  live  in  rancherias  and  to  practice 
the  rude  arts  which  they  had  learned  of  the  missionaries,  others 
W'Cre  forced  by  want,  and  doubtless  also  led  by  inclination,  to 
get  their  living  l)y  joining  in  these  raids.  When  Alfred  Robin- 
son w^as  here  in  January,  1832,  they  were  in  a  miserable  condi- 
tion and  daily  reports  were  received  of  robberies  and  murders. 
From  Felu'uary  to  June  of  the  following  year  there  was  nnich 
excitement  due  to  rumors  of  a  plot  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
to  unite  and  seize  the  mission  property.  A  corporal  was  sent 
with  a  small  force  to  El  Cajon,  Avhere  he  seized  Chief  Jajochi  and 
other  malcontents,  Avho  were  sentenced  to  terms  of  imprisonment. 

Between  the  years  1836  and  18-1:0,  nearly  all  the  ranchos  in 
the  country  were  i)lundered,  at  one  time  or  another,  and  agri- 
culture fell  to  a  very  low  ebb.  In  the  spring  of  1836,  there 
were  loud  complaints  and  the  soldiers  could  furnish  no  protec- 
tion, being  without  arms  and  ammunition.  Juan  Maria  Marron 
Avas  attacked  in  January,  on  the  Cueros  de  Venado  rancho,  but 
the  hostiles  were  driven  off  with  the  help  of  friendly  Indians, 
and  several  of  them  killed.  The  savages  became  so  bold  that 
they  even  made  raids  into  the  town.  An  unsuccessful  effort 
was  made  to  have  a  garrison  established  at  Santa  Ysabel.  In 
March,  Don  Sylvestre  Portilla  proj^osed  to  conquer  the  Indians 
at  his  own  expense,  on  condition  that  he  be  allowed  to  keep  those 
made  prisoner,  for  servants. 

The  year  1837  was  one  of  great  anxiety  for  the  San  Diego 
people — a  year  of  blood  and  terror.  One  of  the  best  accounts 
of  some  of  these  disturbances  is  that  in  Davis's  book,  his  wife 
having  resided  here  as  a  girl  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence.  It 
gives  us  such  a  vivid  picture  of  the  life  of  the  times  that  it  is 
Avorfb  (pioting: 

About  the  year  1837  there  was  an  Indian  outbreak  in  what 
is  now  San  Diego  county.  A  family  by  the  name  of  Ybarra, 
consisting  of  the  father,  the  mother,  two  young  daughters,  and 
a  son  about  twelve  years  of  age,  lived  at  the  rancho  San  Ysidro. 
They  had  in  their  employ  an  old  Indian  woman,  who  had  been 
christianized  at  the  Mission,  a  very  faithful  and  good  woman,  a 
romadre  to  her  mistress,  the  godmother  of  one  of  the  Indian 
woman's  children.  This  relation  was  frecjuently  assumed  by  the 
r'alifdrnia    ladies,    it    being    a    mandate    of    the    Catholic    church 


MURDER  OF  YBARRA  183 

every wluie,  lliat  any  child  that  is  christened  shall  be  attended 
by  a  godfather  and  a  godmother,  and  the  Californians  performed 
this  religious  duty  toward  the  children  of  the  poorer  classes, 
incliuliug  the  Indians.  The  serving  woman  got  information  of 
an  attack  on  the  raneho  which  had  been  planned  by  Indians  in 
the  monntaius,  and  a  week  before  the  occurrences  here  men- 
tioned she  warned  the  family  of  their  approach.  She  urged  and 
begged  that  they  at  once  remove  to  the  Presidio  of  San  Diego 
for  protection.  Her  mistress  was  anxious  to  follow  the  advice, 
but  Ybarra  himself  disregarded  it.  He  did  not  believe  that  tiie 
Indians  contemplated  a  movement.  The  Californians  were  a 
brave  people,  especially  in  ()[H(osition  to  tlie  Indians,  whether 
they  went  out  in  pursuit  of  them  to  recover  stolen  horses,  or 
otherwise.  They  were  always  prepared  to  resist  an  attack  by 
them  in  their  own  homes,  and  did  not  fear  them,  but  considered 
that  three  or  four,  or  eight  or  ten  of  their  number  were  suf- 
ficient to  vanquish  ten  times  that  many  Indians.  Ybarra  liad 
with  him  two  vaqueros  on  the  ranch,  and  did  not  think  it 
necessary  to  pay  heed  to  the  statement  of  the  woman,  who,  the 
night  before  the  attack,  repeated,  with  emphasis,  her  advice  for 
the  family  to  leave,  saying  the  next  day  the  Indians  would 
surely  be   there  and   carry  out  their  plans. 

The  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  while  Ybarra  and  his 
vaqueros  were  at  the  corral,  about  150  yards  from  the  house, 
engaged  in  lassoing  horses,  with  the  intention  of  starting  for 
San  Diego,  the  Indians  stealthily  approached,  to  the  number  of 
7.5  or  TOO.  The  three  men  in  the  corral,  seeing  them  very  near, 
immediately  ran  toward  the  house  to  secure  arms.  This  design, 
however,  was  thwarted  hy  a  little  Indian  boy  employed  in  the 
family,  who,  seeing  them  coming  as  they  neared  the  house,  shut 
and  barred  the  door  and  prevented  them  from  entering.  He 
must  have  had  knowledge  of  the  designs  of  the  Indians,  and 
been  in  complicity  with  them,  as  by  this  act  of  the  little  villain, 
the  three  unarmed  men  were  left  outside  at  the  mercy  of  the 
miscreant  savages,  and  were  si)eedily  killed.  The  Indians  then 
broke  into  the  house,  and  made  a  movement  immediately  to 
kill  Doiia  Juana,  the  mistress,  but  the  old  Indian  woman  de- 
fended her  at  the  peril  of  her  own  life;  interceded  with  the  In- 
dians aiid  supplicated  them  to  spare  her  mistress.  This  they 
did.  The  two  daughters  were  also  captured  by  the  Indians  and 
made  prisoners.  All  the  houses  of  the  raneho  were  also  burned. 
The  mother  was  ordered  by  the  savages  to  leave  the  house,  and 
go  on  foot  to  San  Diego.  She  set  forth  entirely  disrobed.  On 
approaching  San  Diego  Mission  she  was  clothed  bj^  a  friendly 
woman,  who  came  out  and  met  her.  In  proceeding  through  a 
wheat  field  on  the  raneho  she  met  her  little  son,  who  had  gone 
out  in  the  morning  and  had  not  encountered  the  savages.  He 
now  learned  from  his  mother  of  the  murder  of  his  father  and 
the  two  vaqueros,  and  the  cajiture  of  his  sisters.  He  v»'as  sent 
ahead  to  give  information  of  the  attack  to  the  first  Califoruian 
he   might  meet. 

News  of  what  had  happened  was  immediately  conununicated 
to  the  Raneho  Tia  Juana,  owned  and  occupied  by  Don  Santiago 
Argiiello.  a  beautiful  piece  of  land  having  a  fine  stream  of  liv- 
ing water  running  through  it.  At  that  time  several  California 
families   were   encamped   there,   spending  a    portion   of  the  sum- 


184  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

mer;  the  Baiuliiiis.  Alvarados  and  others.  There  were  also  sev- 
eral young   ladies  and   girls,  one   of  them  Miss  Estudillo. 

At  the  Kanclio  Tia  Juana  the  iutelligeuce  created  much  cou- 
sternation,  and  the  camps  of  the  several  families  were  im- 
mediately broken  up.  They  proceeded  to  Sau  Diego,  accom- 
panied by  the  Argiiello  family,  who  took  with  them  as  many  of 
their  horses  as  they  conveniently  could.  The  Indians  shortly 
after  reached  the  place,  burned  the  houses,  and  secured  the 
stock  which  the  owner  had  left  behind  in  the  fields. 

The  third  night  the  Indians  intended  to  fall  upon  the  Eancho 
Jesus  Maria,  occupied  by  Don  Jose  Lopez  with  his  wife  and 
two  daughters.  News  of  the  Indian  outbreak  reaching  San 
Diego,  it  was  resolved  to  send  out  a  force  for  his  protection  and 
to  rescue,  if  possible,   the  two  girls  captured   at  San  Ysidro. 

Don  .lose  Lopez  had  a  large  vineyard  and  manufactured  wine, 
of  which  he  occasionally  imbibed  more  than  was  consistent  with 
a  well-regulated  heacl.  On  the  evening  when  the  Indians  were 
to  attack  him  he  was  filled  with  wine,  which  led  him  to  some 
extraordinary  demonstrations.  He  went  out  and  built  a  num- 
ber of  large  bonfires  in  the  vicinity  of  his  house,  and  then  com- 
menced shouting  vociferously,  making  a  great  noise  for  his  own 
entertainment  only.  As  the  Indians  approached  the  place  they 
sent  out  a  spy  in  advance  to  reconnoitre  and  ascertain  if  every- 
thing was  favorable  for  attack.  The  spy  seeing  the  fires  burn- 
ing, and  hearing  this  loud  and  continued  shouting,  concluded 
that  the  C'alifornians  were  there  in  force,  and  so  reported  to 
the  main  body  of  Indians,  who  deemed  it  jirudent  to  re- 
tire. .  .  .  The  next  day  the  force  arrived,  and  Lojiez  and 
family  were  escorted  to  San  Diego,  the  main  body  of  the  troops 
going  in  pursuit   of  the   Indians. 

Ybarra,  at  the  time  he  was  murdered,  had  in  San  Diego  two 
sons,  who  joined  the  company  in  pursuit,  as  they  were  anxious  to 
learn  everything  possible  regarding  the  fate  of  their  sisters. 
They  were  soon  informed  by  a  captured  spy  that  two  of  the 
chiefs  had  made  them  their  wives.  The  company  followed  into 
the  mountains,  until  they  reached  a  rugged  and  broken  country 
wholly-  inaccessible  to  horses,  and  were  obliged  to  stop,  the  nar- 
row defiles  affording  innumerable  hiding  places  for  Indians  and 
giving  them  an  advantage  over  the  approaching  enemy.  Had 
the  Calif ornians  attempted  to  advance  on  foot  they  would  have 
met  Avith  certain  death,  for  the  Indians  swarmed  in  force,  knew 
the  region  intimately,  and  would  have  picked  the  troops  off 
one  by  one.  The  two  brothers  Ybarra,  however,  urged  on  by 
desire  to  rescue  their  sisters,  advanced  further  into  the  moun- 
tains than  the  rest  of  the  company,  actually  saw  the  girls  in 
the  midst  of  the  savages,  and  got  within  a  short  distance  of 
them,  but  were  so  badly  wounded  by  the  arrows  showered  upon 
them  that  they  were  compelled  to  return.  After  that,  up  to  the 
time  Miss  Estudillo  left  San  Diego  in  lSi42,  nothing  further 
was  heard  of  the  two  girls. 

Opposite  the  house  where  she  was  living  with  her  aunt  was 
the  residence  of  Ybarra  's  two  sons  and  their  families.  Dona 
Juana,  the  mother,  lived  with  them  in  San  Diego  up  to  the  time 
of  her  death,  which  occurred  about  a  year  after  her  husband 
was  murdered;  this  terrible  occurrence  and  the  loss  of  her 
daughters  also,  proving  too  great  a  blow  for  her.  During  this 
time  she  never  ceased  to  lament  their  sad   fate.     It  was  heart- 


A  PLOT  FOILED  185 

reudiug  tu  listen  tu  licr  expressious  of  grief,  weeping  and  wail- 
ing for  the  loss  of  her  husband  and  children,  like  Kachel  refusing 
to  be  comforted.  Her  distress  often  made  the  people  weep  who 
heard   her   lamentations. 

Prior  to  this  ooellrr(MK't^  the  hostih'  Indians  liad  made  several 
attacks  upon  San  Diejio  for  plunder  and  the  capture  of  women, 
but  without  success.  They  now  began  to  grow  still  bolder,  and 
to  plan  their  enterprises  upon  a  large  scale,  and  soon  after 
formed  a  plan  for  the  I'eduetion  of  the  settlement.  Again  the 
clearest  account  is  containetl  in  Davis's  book: 

One  of  the  daughters  of  the  Alvarado  family  married  Captain 
Snook.  After  her  marriage  two  of  her  younger  sisters  resided 
with  her  a  part  of  the  time.  One  of  them  had  acquired  consid- 
erable knowledge  of  the  Indian  language.  Several  of  these  fam- 
ilies had  Indian  men  for  cooks.  One  evening  after  supper,  the 
young  lady  just  mentioned.  Dona  Guadalupe  Alvarado.  over- 
heard the  cooks  in  earnest  conversation  in  the  Indian  language. 
As  soon  as  the  w^ords  were  caught  by  her  ear  she  was  startled 
and  surprised,  and  drawing  nearer  heard  all  that  was  said. 
She  discovered  that  the  Indian  cooks  from  the  different  fam- 
ilies had  gathered  in  the  kitchen  of  the  house  and  were  discuss- 
ing a  plan  of  attack  upon  the  town  by  members  of  their  tribe. 
It  appeared  that  arrangements  had  been  completed  for  the  cap- 
ture of  the  town  the  following  night,  and  that  the  cooks  in  the 
several  families  were   to  lend   their  aid. 

In  the  council  of  the  cooks,  it  came  out  that  each  on  the  fol- 
lowing night  was  to  communicate  with-  a  spy  from  the  main 
body  of  the  Indians,  and  take  stations  for  this  purpose  on  top 
of  the  hill  overlooking  the  town,  where  the  old  Presidio  and 
first  garrison  quarters  of  the  Spaniards  in  California  formerly 
stood.  They  were  to  inform  the  spies  of  the  condition  of  each 
family,  whether  or  not  it  was  sufficiently  off  guard  at  the  time 
to  warrant  an  attack.  There  happened  to  be  present  in  the 
house  Don  Pio  Pico  and  Don  Andres  Pico,  who  were  making  a 
friendly  call  on  the  family.  They  were  a  good  deal  startled  at 
the  statement  made  by  the  young  lady,  and  represented  that 
they  would  give  the  conspiracy  immediate  attention.  The  ])eo- 
ple  of  San  Diego  at  that  period  had  their  houses  well  supplied 
with  arms  and  were  always  on  the  watch  for  Indian  movements. 
Accordingly,  during  the  night  they  organized  a  company  of 
citizens  and  arranged  that  at  daylight  each  house  should  be 
visited  and  the  cook  secured.  This  was  successfully  accom- 
plished. As  each  of  the  conspirators  came  out  of  the  house  in 
the  early  morning  he  was  lassoed,  and  all  were  taken  a  little 
distance  from  town,  where  it  was  proposed  to  shoot  them.  They 
expressed  a  desire  to  be  allowed  to  die  as  Christians,  to  con- 
fess to  the  priest,  and  receive  the  sacrament.  This  request 
was  granted;  the  priest  heard  the  confessions  of  each,  and  ad- 
ministered the  rites  of  the  church.  A  trench  of  suitable  depth 
was  then  dug,  and  the  Indians  made  to  kneel  close  beside  it. 
Then  on  being  shot,  each  fell  into  the  ditch,  where  he  was  buried. 
Eight  or  ten  Indians  were  executed  at  this  time. 

While  these  proceedings  were  taking  ])lace  a  messenger  was 
sent  to  one  of  the  Boston  hide-ships   lying  in  port,   requesting 


186  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

that  a  canuou  might  be  loaned  to  the  towu,  to  assist  in  its  de- 
fense. The  eannon  was  sent  over,  with  a  suitable  supply  of  ani- 
nmuition.  At  night  a  party  of  citizens  visited  the  spot  where 
the  Indian  spy  was  to  appear,  and  succeeded  in  cax)turing  him. 
He  steadily  refused  to  confess,  though  assured  that  he  would 
soon  die,  as  his  friends  had  done  before  him.  One  of  his  ears 
was  cut  oft",  and  he  was  given  to  understand  that  tlie  other 
one  would  follow,  and  that  he  would  be  mutilated  little  by  little 
until  he  made  the  statement  required  of  him;  whereupon,  his 
resolution  gave  way,  and  he  made  a  confession  indicating  where 
the  Indians  were  encamped,  and  telling  all  that  he  knew.     .     .     . 

After  the  spy  had  divulged  all  he  knew,  he  was  shot  with- 
out further  ceremony,  he  being  an  unconverted  Indian  and  not 
desiring  the  services  of  a  priest. 

The  next  day  the  citizens  went  out  in  force,  found  and  sur- 
prised the  Indians,  and  engaged  them  in  battle;  numbers  of 
them    were   killed,    but   none   of   the    Californians. 

lu  December,  1846,  soon  after  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual, 
eleven  men  were  killed  in  an  Indian  nprising  at  Pauma.  Their 
names  were :  Sergeant  Francisco  Basualdo,  Jose  M.  Alvarado, 
Manuel  Serrano,  Ramon  Agnilar,  an  old  man  known  as  "Domin- 
gnito"  bnt  whose  name  was  Domingnez,  Santiago  Osuna,  Jose 
Lopez.  Santos  Alipas,  Estaqnio  Ruiz,  Juan  de  la  Cruz,  and  a 
New  jNIexican  whose  name  is  not  known. 

These  men  were  ^Mexican  rangers  and  they  were  taken  pris- 
oners by  the  Pauma  Indians,  whose  chief,  at  the  time,  was  jNIan- 
uelito.  It  is  not  known  why  the  Indians  captured  them,  but  it 
is  possible  they  had  some  grievance  on  account  of  past  ill  treat- 
ment. The  Indians  were  at  first  in  doubt  what  to  do  with  their 
prisoners ;  then  came  Bill  ^Marshall,  a  white  man  living  with  a 
neighboring  tribe,  who  will  be  mentioned  again  later,  and  told 
the  Indians  that,  since  the  ^Mexicans  and  Americans  were  at  war, 
it  would  please  the  latter  if  they  would  execute  these  prisoners. 
This  bad  advice  was  taken  and  the  men  put  to  death.  Man- 
uelito later  became  general  over  nearly  all  the  Indians  living 
in  San  Diego  county.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  character  and  had 
many  friends,  among  the  warmest  of  whom  were  some  of  the 
relatives  of  the  murdered  Spaniards. 

Antonio  (larra,  a  San  Luis  Rev  Indian,  received  a  fair  edu- 
cation  at  the  San  Luis  Rey  IMission.  He  was  a  man  of  energy, 
determination,  and  influence.  He  Avas  chief  of  the  tribe  resid- 
ing in  the  neighborhood  of  AVarner's  Ranch,  i.  e.,  the  Cupeiios, 
and  had  large  herds  of  cattle  and  horses. 

The  first  sheriff  of  San  Diego  County,  Agostin  Haraszthy, 
conceived  it  to  be  his  duty  to  collect  taxes  on  the  live  stock  of 
the  Indians,  and  in  his  effort  to  do  so  came  into  conflict  with 
Garra.  The  Indians  also  claimed  the  whites  were  settling  on 
their  lands  and  trying  to  take  the  hot  springs  away  from  them. 
Livinu'  with   Garra 's  tribe  at  this  time  was  one  William  Mar- 


ATTACK  ON  WARNER'S  187 

shall,  i\  rcMieujide  sailor  fi'om  Providence,  R.  I.,  who  had  deserted 
from  a  whah^  shij)  at  San  Diego  in  184-1:.  taken  up  his  habita- 
tion with  the  Indians,  and  married  the  daughter  of  a  chief. 
This  man  took  an  active  part  in  the  subsequent  proceedings, 
and  was  luinged  for  his  pains,  .as  we  shall  see.  It  was  also 
believed  that  he  was  in  a  large  measure  responsible  foi"  tilling 
the  head  of  Garra  with  the  dreams  of  destiny  which  ])roved 
his  undoing. 

Within  the  circumference  of  a  circle  having  a  radius  of  loO 
miles,  with  Warner's  Ranch  as  its  centei-,  there  wtM-e  snpposed 
to  be  then  living  about  ten  thousand  Indians.  The  nnmbei-s 
were  formidable  enough,  but  the  thing  was,  to  unite  them. 
Garra  c{uickly  grasped  this  point  and  set  about  making  his 
l)reparati()ns  accordingly.  But  the  Americans  were  on  the 
alert,  and  when  he  left  for  a  tour  among  the  neighboring  tribes, 
his  movements  were  watched.  Besides  rumors  of  trouble  on  the 
Colorado  river,  word  came  from  Bandini's  ranch  (the  Tecate. 
in  Lower  California),  that  the  Indians  there  had  been  invited 
to  join  in  a  movement  for  the  annihilation  of  thi>  whites.  In 
consequence  of  these  rumors  and  of  warnings  from  friendly 
Indians,  Colonel  Warner  employed  Judge  Sackett.  who  was 
then  stopping  at  his  ranch,  to  make  a  tour  among  the  tribes 
with  two  Indians,  in  the  disguise  of  a  trader,  and  to  repoi-t 
upon  conditions.  This  party  was  out  ten  days  and  on  their 
return  reported  themselves  unable  to  discover  any  evidences  of 
an  intended  uprising.  Warnings  continued  to  come  in.  how- 
ever, and  about  ten  days  after  Sackett 's  return  three  messen- 
gers reached  Warner's  in  one  day,  all  sent  by  Chief  Lazaro,  of 
Santa  Ysabel,  by  different  routes,  that  the  Indians  would  surely 
make  an  attack  on  the  following  morning. 

Warner  was  still  incredulous,  but  concluded  to  send  his  fam- 
ily away  to  San  Diego.  They  departed  on  November  21st,  a 
little  after  midnight,  together  with  all  the  Avhite  servants  and 
some  visitors,  leaving  only  Colonel  Warner,  an  Indian  boy 
about  sixteen  years  old,  and  a  mulatto  ])oy  who  had  been  sent 
there  to  be  treated  for  rheumatism — the  servant  of  an  army  offi- 
cer of  San  Diego.  Nothing  happened  the  following  day,  but  in 
the  evening  four  Americans,  invalids  and  ofhei's  who  were  stop- 
ping at  the  hot  springs  on  the  rancho,  were  nuirdered.  These 
were  Levi  Slack  (E.  W.  Morse's  partner),  Joseph  Planning, 
Ridgley  and  Fiddler.  They  were  surprised,  mutilated,  and 
butchered  in  cold  blood — a  Avork  in  which  Bill  Marshall  is  said 
to  have  been  a  leader. 

That  night  Colonel  AVarner  slept,  not  knowing  what  had 
occurred ;  but  the  next  morning  at  sunrise  he  was  awakened  by 
the  yells  of  an  attacking  part>-.  which  had  already  killed  the 
Indian  bov  when  he  went  out  to  milk  the  cows.     Upon  rising. 


188 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


he  foiiiul  the  lionsc  sui-i-oiiiided  l)y  a  large  party  of  Indians^ 
part  in  the  rear  of  the  house  and  others  at  the  corral.  A  flight 
of  arrows  was  shot  at  him,  and  he  narrowly  escaped  injurj^ 
He  was  an  excellent  marksman  and  qniekly  killed  three  Indians 
with  as  many  shots.  In  the  panic  caused  by  this  fusillade,  he 
got  the  invalid  bo\-  out  of  the  house,  mounted  a  horse,  placed 
the  boy  on  anothi^-,  rode  off  unharmed  and  heavily  armed,  and 


COL.    WARNER   OF   WARNER'S   RANCH 


safely  reached  the  rancheria  of  Sau  Jose,  where  his  vaqueros 
had  taken  refuge.  Here  he  left  the  boy,  and,  after  instructing 
his  vaqueros  about  gathering  up  the  cattle,  rode  back  to  his 
house  which  the  Indians  were  busy  plundering.  Here  he  met 
an  Indian  who  tried  to  shoot  him,  and  only  Warner's  superior 
quickness  saved  him.  Convinced  that  he  could  not  save  his 
property,  he  rode  away  for  San  Diego,  and  left  his  rancho  to 
its  fate. 


THE  GARRA  UPRISING  189 

The  arrival  of  the  Warner  i-efugees  at  San  l)ieg-o,  coming 
as  the^•  did  about  the  same  time  as  rumors  from  the  Colorado 
river  and  Bandini's  i-aneh,  caused  intense  excitement.  A  let- 
ter from  Antonio  Gan'a  to  -Jose  Antonio  Estudillo,  clearly  show- 
ing that  the  Indian  chieftain  expected  the  help  of  the  Califor- 
iiians  in  the  uprising,  was  also  made  ])ul)lic  and  added  to  the 
excitement.     A  translation  of  this  letter  follows: 

Mr.  Jose  Antonio   Estudillo — 

I  salute  you.  Soinc  time 
past,  I  told  yon  what  I  tliought,  and  now  the  blow  has  been 
struck.  If  I  live  I  will  come  and  help  you  because  all  the  In- 
dians are  invited  in  all  parts.  Perhajis  the  San  Bernardinos 
are  now  rising  and  have  a  man  named  Juan  Berus.  He  tells 
that  the  white  people  waited  for  me.  For  that  reason  I  gave 
them  my  word,  and  be  all  ready  by  Tuesday  to  leave  this  for 
the  Pueblo.  You  will  arrange  with  the  white  people  and  tlie 
Indians,  and  send  nie  your  word.     Nothing  more. 

ANTONIO  GAKEA. 

The  people  of  San  Diego  at  once  held  a  mass  meeting,  pro- 
claimed martial  law.  with  the  aid  of  !iMajor  Samuel  P.  lleint- 
zelman.  who  was  in  command  of  the  district,  and  began  the  organ- 
ization of  a  volunteer  company  to  go  on  a  punitive  expedi- 
tion. Sentinels  were  posted  to  guard  every  approach  to  the 
town  and  a  strict  watch  kept.  Deputy  Sheriff  Joseph  Reiner 
was  sent  out  as  a  scout  and  found  the  hostiles  in  force  at  Agua 
Caliente,  three  miles  l)eyond  Warner's.  In  the  meantime,  the- 
town  filled  with  refugees  from  the  country.  The  Indians  at 
Temecula,  after  refusing  to  .join  Garra,  came  in  for  protection. 
The  Avhite  residents  of  the  various  ranchos  did  likewise,  many 
of  them  abandoning  their  household  goods.  Many  citizens  ren- 
dered important  services  at  this  time.  Don  Joaquin  Ortega, 
owner  of  the  Santa  Maria  raiicho,  ot¥ered  to  donate  horses  for 
the  use  of  the  volunteers,  and  Philip  Crosthwaitt'  undertook  to 
go  after  tliem.  With  him  went  Albert  B.  Smith.  Enos  A.  Wall, 
John  C.  Stewart,  and  Dr.  Ogden.  Tliey  made  the  trip  in 
safetj^  and  returned  with  the  horses,  although  it  was  considered 
a  hazardous  service.  Don  Jose  Antonio  Estudillo  also  furnished 
horses  and  mules  from  his  El  Cajon  rancho. 

The  volunteer  company  was  known  as  the  "Fitzgerald  Volun- 
teers," in  honor  of  Major  C.  B.  Fitzgerald,  an  army  officer,  who 
was  given  the  command.  Two  or  three  other  army  officei-s,  who 
were  in  San  Diego  for  their  health,  also  volunteered  and  served 
as  privates.  Cave  J.  Couts  was  made  captain,  Agostin  TTarasz- 
thy  first  lieutenant,  Lewis  A.  Franklin  second  lieutenant.  Rob- 
ert D.  Israel  first  sergeant.  Jack  Hiutou  second  sergeant,  T'hilip 
Crosthwaite  third  sergeant,  Henry  Clayton  fourth  sergeant, 
and    George   P.    Tebbetts   ensign.      The   single    men    <in]y   were 


190  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

allowLHl  lu  iio,  leaving  the  inari-ied  iiK'ii,  uiKler  the  eoininaiid  of 
Sergeant  Hinton,  to  gnard  the  town.  Those  who  Avent  were 
forty  in  number,  all  mounted. 

The  line  of  march  was  l)y  way  of  the  Soledad,  Penasqnitas. 
San  Pasqiial,  Santa  ]\laria,  and  Santa  Ysabel.  They  arrived  at 
Warner's  Ranch  without  meeting  any  Indians,  and  found  the 
place  entii'cly  niined.  Advancing  to  Agua  Caliente,  they  found 
the  rancheria  deserted.  The  l)ones  of  the  murdered  white  men 
at  this  place  were  gathered  up  and  buried  and  the  village  burned. 
No  Indians  were  seen,  and  the  next  day  the  return  march  began. 
A  scouting  party  captui-ed  l)ill  Marshall  and  two  Indians,  who 
were  taken  along  as  pi'isoners.  The  company  was  detained  two  or 
three  days  at  Santa  Ysabel  l)y  rain  and  snow,  and  arrived  at 
San  Diego  and  was  disbanded,  early  in  Decemlier,  after  an 
absence  of  two  Aveeks.  The  campaign  was  a  failure,  from  a 
number  of  causes,  (larra  was  away  in  the  San  Bernardino 
mountains,  trying  to  rally  the  Indians  in  that  region  to  his  aid. 
It  was  th(^  policy  of  the  Indians  to  avoid  an  open  engagement, 
and  when  the  troops  approached  they  scattered  in  the  moun- 
tains. The  men  were  also  chiefly  armed  with  condemned  army 
nmskets  loaned  by  Colonel  ]\Iagruder,  and  an  inspection  of 
arms  was  not  held,  by  some  strange  oversight,  until  they  arrived 
at  Agua  Caliente,  Avhen  it  was  discovered  that  only  about  one- 
fourth  of  the  guns  could  be  fired. 

Colonel  J.  Bankhead  ^lagruder.  in  command  of  the  troops  at 
the  Mission,  did  everything  in  his  power  to  helj^  but  was  much 
hampered  by  the  hick  of  men  and  arms.  A  company  of  infantry 
was  sent  to  Yuma,  for  the  relief  of  the  garrison  there,  which 
was  thought  to  l;e  in  danger.  On  Deceml^^r  11th  two  compa- 
nies of  troops  arrived  and  immediately  went  out  luider  Lieuten- 
ant Patterson.  Knowing  the  Indians  would  avoid  an  engage- 
ment with  liis  troops,  he  took  them  out  some  distance  and  then 
brought  them  Itack  on  the  Yuma  road,  disguised  as  a  wagon- 
train  of  emigrants.  The  Indians  took  the  bait,  charged  upon 
the  wagons  which,  to  their  dismay,  ])roved  to  be  full  of  soldiers, 
and  a  bloody  skirmish  ensued  in  which  they  lost  many  killed. 
Patterson  then  led  his  men  on  to  Agua  Caliente,  where  they 
went  into  camp;  in  the  night,  however,  leaving  their  camp  fii-es 
burning,  they  went  over  the  mountains  to  Los  Coyotes,  whitlier 
the  Indians  had  fled,  and  surrounded  their  camp.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Indians  were  killed  and  captured,  and  those  who  escaped 
were  subdued.  A  drum-head  court-martial  was  held  at  once 
and  the  following  {prisoners,  known  to  have  been  active  in  the 
murders,  were  shot:  Francisco  Mocate,  chief  of  the  San  Ysi- 
dro ;  Luis.  Indian  alcalde  of  Agua  Caliente ;  Jacobo,  or  Ono- 
Sil :  and  Juan  Bautista,  or  Coton.     The  regulars  returned  to 


THE  LEADER'S  CAPTURE  191 

Rail    l)i('<i()  eai'lx'  in  .JaiiiKU'x'   and,  evorytliiiig  l)('iii<;'  ({uiet  once 
more,  Ihe  refntices  relumed  to  theii'  lionies. 

Bill  jMarshall  and  the  two  Indians  confined  in  Ihc  San  JJicj^o 
jail  were  prompt  Iv  li-ied  l)y  court-martial.  One  oi"  tluisc  Indi- 
ans was  Jose  Lacano,  Alarsliall's  father-in-law,  an  old  num.  As 
it  ai)pcared  tliat,  while  he  knew  of  the  uprising,  he  had  taken 
no  part  in  it,  he  was  discharged.  jMarshall's  mother-in-law 
gave  testimony  against  him.  An  Indian  1)oy  who  had  been  a 
servant  of  Warner's  was  convicted  of  giving  false  testimony 
during  the  trial  and  i)unished  with  twenty-five  lashes  on  his 
bare  back. 

Marshall  was  found  guilty  and  condemned  lo  death,  as  was 
also  the  second  Indian  prisoner.  His  name  was  Juan  Bero  or 
Berus.  He  appears  to  have  been  the  man  named  as  a  leader 
in  Garra's  letter  to  Estudillo.  The  trial  was  concluded  on 
December  10th  and  the  men  were  hanged  at  two  o'clock,  Decem- 
ber 13th.  The  Indian  acknowledged  his  guilt,  Ijiit  Marsh.ill 
insisted  he  was  iiuiocent.  A  scaffold  was  erected  near  the  old 
Catholic  cemetery,  the  men  placed  in  a  wagon,  the  ropes  ad- 
justed about  their  necks,  and  the  wagon  moved  on,  leaving- 
them  to  strangle  to  death. 

What  the  course  of  events  woidd  have  been  had  (Jarra  Ix'en 
personally  present  with  his  warriors,  can  only  be  conjectured. 
His  misfortunes  were  not  yet  at  an  end.  The  Calmilla  chief 
whom  he  hoped  to  w4n  over  proved  loyal  to  the  whites,  and 
while  they  sat  discussing  the  matter,  he  caused  his  men  to  slip 
up  behind  Garra  and  seize  and  bind  him,  and  delivered  him  to 
the  authorities  at  Los  Angeles.  He  was  hronghl  to  San  Diego 
under  guard  on  January  8th,  and  a  court-martial  was  assembled 
for  his  trial  on  the  charges  of  treason,  murder,  and  theft.  The 
board  consisted  of  General  Joshua  H.  Bean,  of  Los  Angeles, 
Major  Myra  Weston,  Lieutenant  George  F.  Hooper,  Major  M. 
Norton.  Ca])tain  T.  Tilghman,  and  ^lajor  Santiago  E.  Argiiello. 
Cave  J.  Couts  was  judge  advocate.  ]\Tajor  ]\IcI\instry  counsel 
for  the  prisoner,  and  J.  J.  Warner  interpreter. 

In  the  course  of  the  trial  it  was  brought  out  that  Garra  had 
expected  aid  from  a  number  of  Californians,  but  this  was 
doubtless  a  mere  fancy  of  his  own.  Th<>  court-martial  took 
occasion  to  publish  a  signed  statement  that  nothing  whatever 
had  been  brought  out  at  the  trial  reflecting  upon  the  men. 
accused.     Captain  Israel  says : 

I  never  miderstood  Garra  very  well.  ^Vitll  his  education,  he 
ought  to  have  known  he  would  liavo  no  olianee  in  fighting  the 
Americans.  He  had  told  the  Indians  he  would  turn  the  bullets 
into  water,  and  it  looked  as  though  he  himself  believed  he 
could  do  this,  as  he  certainly  was  not  afraid  of  them.  While 
he  was  in  jail  here  he  told  me  about  an  Indian  chief,  somewhere 


192  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

off  ill  tlic  kSau  Beriiai'diiio  iiKnuitaiiis,  who,  he  said,  had  promised 
to  send  hiiu  three  hundred  warriors.  He  also  aecused  Argiiello 
and  Ortega  of  promising  to  help  him.  If  Argiiello  ever  made 
any  promises  of  that  kind,  it  must  have  been  when  old  Antonio 
had  him  scared — Argiiello 's  ex[)Ianation  was  that  he  was  trying 
to  find  out  what  the  Indians  were  up  to  and  that  he  never  prom- 
ised   them    any    help. 

At  three  o'clock  on  .);iimary  10,  1852,  it  was  announced  to 
Garra  that  he  must  die.  Father  Juan  Holbein  remained  with 
him  from  that  hour  until  the  end.  At  half  jiast  four,  the  fir- 
ing squad  of  ten  men  |)araded  before  the  cell,  the  provost  tnar- 
shal,  Robert  D.  Israel,  informed  Garra  that  his  hour  had  come, 
and  the  march  to  the  grave  was  begun.  Garra 's  liearing  was 
cool  and  he  showed  a  determination  to  die  like  a  man.  The 
priest  thought  his  conduct  unbecoming,  and  tried  to  insist  upon 
his  praying  all  the  way.  Garra  refused  to  do  this,  saying: 
' '  What  is  the  use  ?  That  is  of  no  account ! ' '  The  priest  stopped 
the  procession  and  stood  quai-relling  with  Garra  al)out  it,  until 
he  gave  in  and  began  to  pray.  "Then,"  says  Israel,  "we  found 
that  Garra  knew  more  Latin  than  the  priest  did."  This  by- 
play continued  all  the  way,  the  priest  continually  insisting  upon 
Garra 's  praying  and  Garra  refusing  and  declaring  there  was  no 
use  in  it,  Imt  nuittering  a  prayer  now  and  then  to  rid  himself 
of  his  importunities. 

Arriving  at  the  open  grave,  Garra  took  his  station  at  its  head, 
and  then  a  new  difficulty  rose.  Father  Juan  commanded  him 
to  ask  the  pardon  of  the  people  assembled ;  Garra  at  first 
refused,  and  only  after  repeated  commands  and  entreaties  did 
he  lift  his  eyes  and  say,  calmly  and  with  a  contemptuous  smile : 
"Gentlemen,  I  ask  your  pardon  for  all  my  offenses,  and  expect 
yours  in  return."  When  a  soldier  advanced  to  tie  a  handker- 
chief over  his  eyes,  he  laughingly  refused  to  permit  it,  but  at 
Father  Juan's  request  he  again  yielded  and  allowed  his  eyes  to 
be  bandaged.  The  provost  quickly  gave  the  command:  "Ready! 
Aim!  Fire!"  and  Antonio  Garra  fell  into  his  grave.  He  actu- 
ally died  laughing.  His  firnuiess  was  real,  lacking  all  bravado, 
and  excited  the  admiration  of  all  who  witnessed  it.  Editor 
Ames  said:  "In  an  instant  the  soul  of  a  truly  'brave'  winged 
its  flight  to  the  regions  of  eternity,  accompanied  by  the  melan- 
choly howling  of  dogs,  who  seemed  to  be  aware  of  the  solemnity 
of  the  occasion, — casting  a  gloom  over  the  assembled  hundreds, 
who  while  acknowledging  the  justness  of  Antonio's  fate,  felt  the 
need  to  drop  a  tear  o'er  the  grave  of  a  brave  man  and  once  pow- 
erful chieftain."  But  notwithstanding  Ames's  real  admiration 
for  Garra 's  courage,  he  could  not  refrain  from  indulging  his 
propensity  to  joke,  and,  in  the  next  issue  of  his  paper,  under 
the  head  of  "Departures,"  inserted  the  following:     "Atitotiio 


LANDS  SET  APART  FOR  INDIANS 


193 


Garra,  Tierra  CaUente^^  (literally,  for  a  hot  eouiitr}',  i.  e.,  hell). 

A  larii'e  numl)er  of  Indians  witnessed  the  exeention  and  were 
doubtless  duly  inipi-essed  ;  at  any  I'ate.  thei'e  was  never  another 
Indian  uprising,  of  like  proportions,  in  the  South. 

But  although  there  were  no  more  Indian  "wars,"  occasional 
murders,  ro])l)eries,  and  |)illaging  still  occurred.  A  large  num- 
ber of  Indians  lived  in  and  near  San  Diego  all  through  the 
50's,  60's,  7()'s,  and  even  far  into  the  80's,  and  there  was  an 
encampment  in  Switzer's  Canyon  for  many  years.  In  1876,  an 
effort  which  had  been  going  on  for  some  time  to  have  the  Indi- 
ans settled  upon  reservations,  took  definite  form  in  an  execu- 
tive order  by   President   Grant,  setting  apart   a   large  area  of 


COL.    J.    BANKHEAD   MAGRUDER 
In  command  of  the  troops  at  the  Mission  at  the  time  of  the  Garra  uprising 

lands  in  San  Diego  County  "for  the  permanent  use  and  occu- 
pancy of  the  .Mission  Indians  of  Lower  Califoniia."  A  copy 
of  this  order,  giving  a  description  of  the  lands  set  apart,  is 
given  at  the  end  of  this  chapter.  This  was  the  foundation  of 
the  present  Intlian  reservations. 

One  of  the  eustoms  of  the  Mission  Indians  in  early  days  was 
to  camp  on  the  seashore  near  Ocean  Beach,  about  the  time  of 
Lent,  and  remain  till  Easter,  drying  nuissels,  clams,  and  fish. 
They  formed  the  principal  resource  of  the  white  population  for 
laborers,  and  were  tolerably  satisfactoi-y  so  long  as  they  did  not 
get  drunk.  While  Lieutenant  Derby  was  turning  the  San 
Diego  river,  in  1853,  he  employed  a  large  number  of  Indian 
laborers,     lie  found  it  necessary,  however,  to  offer  a  reward  for 


194  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  a])prelieiision  of  any   person  selling  licpioj-  to  the  Indians. 

During  the  5U's,  there  was  something  like  a  reign  of  terror 
in  Old  San  Diego,  due  to  the  lawless  acts  of  drunken  Indians. 
Severe  measures  were  taken,  l)ut  without  very  much  effect. 
There  was  an  Indian  alcalde  who  had  a  sort  of  authority  over 
these  Indians,  and  occasionally  punished  offenders  by  tying 
them  up  to  the  old  cannon  which  then  stood  muzzle  downward 
in  the  gi-ound  in  front  of  a  store  at  Old  San  Diego  and  was  used 
for  a  hitching  post,  and  whipping  them  Avith  a  blacksnake  whip. 

During  the  years  from  1853  to  ISGU,  stablung  att'rays  were 
of  nightly  occurrence,  and  very  little  effort  was  made  to  appre- 
hend or  punish  the  ott'enders.  Editor  Ames  waxed  by  turns 
indignant  and  grimly  humorous  over  the  matter.  On  one  occa- 
sion, "our  able  district  attorney,  instead  of  subjecting  the 
county  to  about  a  thousand  dollars  expense  l)y  having  the  stab- 
ber  sentenced  to  the  state  prison,  had  a  ball  and  chain  put  ta 
him  and  'farmed  him  out'  to  the  highest  bidder  for  cash."  A 
short  time  afterward : 

Since  the  opening  of  the  new  meat  market,  the  Indians  about 
town  have  gone  into  the  butchering  business  on  quite  an  ex- 
tensive scale — killing  about  one  a  week.  An  Indian  boy,  be- 
longing to  Mrs.  Evans,  walked  uj)  to  another  Indian  boy  on  Sat- 
urday night  last,  and  with  a  long  knife  ripped  him  open  as 
quietly  as  if  he  were  cutting  a  watermelon.     Who  conies  next? 

Sometimes  the  whites  suffered.  In  August.  1857,  John  Min- 
turn  was  severely  cut  in  the  arm  l^y  an  Indian,  whom,  how- 
ever, he  succeeded  in  "knocking  out"  with  a  stick  of  stove- 
wood.     On  April  10,  1858,  the  Herald  declares : 

There  must  be  something  done  to  "clean  out"  the  cattle 
thieves  in  this  county.  Whipping  has  got  to  be  of  small  ac- 
count in  deterring  the  Indians  from  thieving,  and  we  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  delectable  and  efficacious  remedy 
of  hanging  is  about  the  best,  after  all.  One  fellow  whom  they 
whipped  out  at  Santa  Ysabel,  got  so  mad  about  it  that  he  just 
walked  off  a  hundred  yards  and  laid  down  and  died!  .  .  . 
It  has  been  ascertained  that  there  have  been  311  head  of  cat- 
tle stolen  in  this  vicinity,  Ramon  Carrillo  alone,  having  lost 
108  of  that  number. 

That  the  citizens  endured  this  state  of  aff'airs  as  long  and 
patiently  as  they  did,  may  well  excite  wonder.  Oniy  one  inci- 
dent of  vigilante  work  in  San  Diego  proper  has  come  to  light. 
There  was  a  poor  old  tailor  in  the  town  who  used  to  get  drunk 
quite  often.  One  day,  having  borrowed  a  dollar  from  a  friend, 
on  the  plea  that  he  was  suffering  from  want  of  food,  he  was 
soon  seen  in  an  intoxicated  condition.  Th(^  next  morning,  his 
body  was  found  lying  on  the  side  of  the  hill  just  above  the  town. 
He  had  been  beaten  to  death  with  stones  and  the  jawbone  of 


WORK  OF  VIGILANTES  195 

a  bullock,  sti'ii)|)ecl  naked,  niid  left  lyiii^'  lliere.  The  laanner  of 
his  dejith  and  the  fact  that  lie  was  known  to  be  poor  and  had 
evidently  been  killed  lor  his  clothes,  gave  i-ise  to  the  l)elief  that 
it  was  the  work  of  Indians.  A  search  of  the  ground  near  the 
body  resulted  in  the  linding  of  a  knife  which  was  known  to 
belong  to  an  Indian  called  Manteca  |  fat,  or  tallow],  and  with 
this  clew  the  names  of  a  luunber  of  liulians  who  had  been  seen 
with  the  tailor  on  the  evening  of  his  death,  were  soon  discov- 
ered. The  murderers  had  decamped.  l)ut  about  six  months 
afterward  some  of  them  ventured  back  to  town,  and  with  the 
aid  of  other  Indians,  three  of  them  were  arrested  aiul  hxlged 
in  jail. 

The  citizens  now  thought  it  time  to  act,  and  also  that  it  was 
just  as  well  to  save  the  county  the  ex])ense  and  trouble  of  leizal 
proceedings.  The  vigilante  party  consisted  of  Kobeil  1).  Israel, 
E.  W.  Morse,  John  Van  Alst,  and  one  other  man  whose  name 
has  not  been  leai-ned.  These  four  men  went  to  the  jail  and  took 
the  three  Indians  out  wdth  the  intention  of  hanging  them. 
Israel,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war  and  knew  some- 
thing of  military  atfairs,  protested  that  the  party  was  too  snuill 
to  handle  the  Indians  all  at  once,  and  suggested  that  they  be 
dealt  with  one  at  a  time.  lie  was  overruled,  however,  and  the 
result  was  that  as  soon  as  the  Indians  learned  the  intention  of 
the  party,  they  began  to  fight  hard  and  two  of  them  succeeded 
in  getting  away.  One  of  these  two  escaped  and  was  never  re- 
captured, and  the  other  w(mld  have  done  so  had  not  ]\Ir.  Morse 
shot  him  and  l)roke  his  leg.  They  then  hanged  one  of  them  in 
a  vacant  building  which  had  lielonged  to  Agostin  llaraszthy, 
and  the  other  in  an  old  adobe  building  l)uilt  by  Crosthwaite 
near  the  American  cemetery.  ]\Irs.  Carson  says  that  on  look- 
ing out  the  next  morning,  she  saw  the  body  hanging  in  the 
Haraszthy  house,  mistook  it  for  an  effigy  and  called  to  her  hus- 
band that  the  Spanish  had  been  "hanging  Judas"  again. 

Mrs.  Carson  tells  many  interesting  stories  about  the  Indians 
of  San  Diego  in  early  days.  They  kept  an  Indian  servant  who 
one  day  was  missing,  and  after  two  days  ■was  found  in  the  bot- 
tom of  a  dry  well.  He  was  taken  out.  Xi'vy  much  bruised,  his 
wounds  dressed,  and  an  Indian  employed  to  nurse  him.  lie 
improved  and  was  thought  to  be  out  of  danger;  but  one  day 
the  nurse  went  away  and  left  a  blind  Indian  in  charge  of  the 
patient,  who  thereupon  crawled  out  of  bed  and  pi'oceeded  to 
treat  himself  by  the  Indian  method.  Tliis  consisted  of  taking 
a  brand  from  the  fireplace  and  scorching  himself  on  the  side  with 
it,  to  set  .up  a  counter  irritation  by  burning.  Tie  burned  him- 
self so  severely  that  he  only  lived  a  few  houi-s  afterward. 

Thomas  Whaley  bought  an  Iiulian  girl  from  her  parents,  giv- 
ing them  something  lilce  .^100  wortli  of  u-oods  from  his  store  in 


196 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


exchange  for  their  eouseiit  for  the  girl  to  live  in  his  family. 
The  girl  stayed  about  a  month  and  tlien  disappeared  and  re- 
turned to  her  parents.  When  Mr.  Whaley  went  after  her  they 
were  willing  to  let  her  go,  hut  wanted  to  be  paid  over  again, 
and  this  continued  as  long  as  the  kind-hearted  merchant  would 
allow  himself  to  be  "worked,"  the  girl  running  away  as  often 
as  her  parents  felt  the  need  of  supplies  from  the  store. 


ROBERT   D.    ISRAEL 

One  of  the  oldest  living  pioneers  and  participants  in  Indian  troubles 


There  was  an  Indian  rancheria  near  the  palm  trees  in  Old 
Town  where  they  were  accustomed  to  hold  dances.  "It  was  like 
an  old-fashioned  spelling  bee,"  says  Mrs.  AVhaley;  "the  Indians 
would  stand  up  in  two  long  rows  and  dance,  and  the  one  of  each 
opposite  pair  that  could  dance  best  won  the  other's  clothes.  I 
dressed  this   girl  well,  but  she  would  go  to  those  dances  and 


EL  CAPITAN  OF  SAN  DIEGO  197 

ahvays  eanic  home  in  vaus,  liaviiio'  lost  the  clothes  I  j^ave  liei-, 
at  the  dance." 

On  May  2(5,  1869,  the  U)iion  eontained  this  item:  "We 
noticed  a  half  dozen  or  more  of  the  Lo  family  parading  the 
streets  last  M'eek,  di-essed  after  the  fashion  of  Adam  an(l  Eve 
befoi-e  they  left  the  garden  of  Eden.  If  there  is  an  old  clothes 
societ\'  in  this  part  of  the  moral  vineyard,  we  would  suggest  to 
its  members  that  th(>se  children  of  the  forest  receive  a  little  of 
their  attention." 

This  was  a  common  occurrence  for  man\-  \ears  before  and 
after.  Mrs.  Morse  speaks  of  "wild  Indians,  nude,  with  the 
exception  of  a  cloth  about  the  loins,"  who,  "stalked  majestic- 
ally across  the  ])la/a,  their  long  liair  streann'ng  in  tlu^  wind, 
or,  if  in  mourning,  i)lastered  up  with  i)asle  made  of  grease 
and  ashes.  The  rings  in  their  noses  were  equally  as  useful  and 
ornamental  as  the  rings  in  the  ears  of  white  ladies." 

In  1873,  the  Indians  about  new  San  Diego  made  themselves 
so  objectionable  by  i)etty  thieving  and  nightly  brawls,  that  City 
Marshal  Gassen  and  Jose  Guadalupe  Estudillo  were  sent  to 
notify  them  to  move  their  camp  out  of  town.  Thcii'  old  chief, 
El  Capitan,  Avas  found  in  the  midst  of  a  harangue,  which  he 
broke  oft'  to  hear  the  message  of  the  alcaldes,  and  ])romised 
obedience.  In  the  following  month  he  entered  an  indignant 
protest  against  putting  out  poisoned  meat  foi-  the  purpose  of 
killing. dogs,  a  practice  which,  it  appeared,  liad  led  to  tlic  death 
of  two  of  his  warriors. 

This  venerable  chief  was  one  of  the  best  of  liis  race,  and  long 
an  interesting  figure  about  San  Diego.  The  words  El  Capitan 
mean  simply  the  captain,  or  chief,  and  give  no  clew  to  his  name. 
He  was  once  a  chief  of  the  Cahuillas.  lie  always  wore  a  "plug" 
hat  and  carried  a  cane,  and  in  his  younger  days  was  a  manly 
figure.  He  exerted  considerable  influence  over  his  lui-bulent 
people,  and  aided  the  authorities  in  ki^eping  them  in  (u-der.  He 
died  in  San  Diego  on  December  10,  187"),  at  an  advanced  age. 

In  ]\Iarch,  1880,  there  was  complaint  of  "too  nnich  pistol- 
shooting  around  town  after  dark"  by  Indians.  An<l  on  May 
18,  1886,  Constable  Rice  shot  and  killed  an  Indian  on  lower 
Fifth  street  in  new  San  Diego.  The  Indian  was  di'unk  and 
attacked  Officer  Kerren  with  a  knif(\  Kice  interfered,  where- 
upon the  Indian  turned  upon  Iriin  and  was  shot. 

In  October,  1883,  the  only  surviving  daughter  of  Chief 
O'Tay,  of  the  Diegueno  Indians,  died  at  Old  Town.  She  was 
among  the  first  of  the  Indians  converted  b\  the  nn"ssionaries. 
Father  Ubach  thought  her  to  be  at  least  120  years  old.  .\bout 
two  years  before  her  death,  she  cut  a  third  set  of  teeth. 
Another  of  these  first  conver-ts,  a  man  named  "Xevos,"  lived 
to  the  age  of  125,  dvino-  at  Old  Town  on  Jaiuuiry  23,  1887.    He 


198  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

was  a  native  of  Lower  California  and  was  In'ouglit  to  San 
Diego  with  the  first  expedition,  in  17()9.  He  bore  his  age  well, 
was  never  crippled,  and  although  blind  for  years  could  hoe 
corn  and  beans,  cut  wood,  and  wash  dishes,  to  the  last.  The 
characteristic  old  age  of  San  Diego  Indians  has  lieen  alhided 
to  by  Dana : 

Here  among  the  huts,  we  saw  the  oldest  man  that  I  have 
ever  met  with;  and,  indeed  I  never  supposed  a  person  could  re- 
tain life  and  exhibit  such  marks  of  age.  He  was  sitting  out  in 
the  sun,  leaning  against  the  side  of  the  hut,  and  his  legs  and 
arms,  which  were  bare,  were  of  a  dark  red  color,  the  skin  withered 
and  shrunken  up  like  burnt  leather,  and  the  limbs  not  larger 
around  than  those  of  a  boy  of  five  years.  He  had  a  few  gray 
hairs,  which  were  tied  together  at  the  back  of  his  head,  and  he 
was  so  feeble  that,  when  we  came  up  to  him,  he  raised  his 
hands  slowly  to  his  face  and,  taking  hold  of  Ms  lids  with  his 
fingers,  lifted  them  up  to  look  at  us;  and,  being  satisfied,  let 
them  drop  again.  All  command  over  the  lids  seemed  to  have 
gone.  I  asked  his  age,  but  could  get  no  answer  but  "  Quien 
sabe?"  and  they  probably  did  not  know. 

There  is  an  aged  Indian  yet  living  who  is  one  of  the  land- 
marks of  Old  Town — Rafael  ]\Iamudes.  He  is  a  native  of  Her- 
mosillo  and  has  led  an  adventurous  life.  He  was  once  a  baker 
and  followed  his  trade  at  Monterey.  He  also  mined  in  Calaveras 
County,  and  made  a  sea  voyage  to  Guaymas.  He  claims  to 
be  over  a  hundred  years  old,  but  it  is  not  possible  to  verify 
this,  and  his  real  age  is  prol)ably  less.  He  came  here  about  fifty 
years  ago,  and  has  supported  himself  by  day  labor.  He  has 
been  married  but  is  now  alone,  save  for  an  aged  sister.  He 
owns  the  little  plot  on  which  the  old  jail  stands. 

MISSION  INDIAN  LANDS 

Extracts  from  Executive  Order,  dated  Washington,  D.  C, 
January  7,  1876,  making  reservation  of  tracts  for  the  permanent 
use  and  occupation  of  the  Mission  Indians  in  Southern  Cali- 
fornia : 

"Potrero" — Including  Bincon,  Gapieh,  and  La  Joyo:  Town- 
ship 10,  south  range  1  east;  sections  16.  2,3,  25,  26,  31, '.32,  33,  34, 
3.5,  36,  and  fractional  sections  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  22,  27,  28 
and  29. 

"Cahuilla" — township)  7,  south  range  2  east;  sections  25,  26, 
27,  28,  33,  34,  35,  and  36;  township  7,  south  range  3  east;  sec- 
tions 26,  27,  28,  29.  30,  31,  32,  3.3,  34,  and  35;  township  8,  south 
range  2  east;  sections  1,  2,  3,  and  4;  township  8,  south  range  3 
east,  sections  31  and  32;  township  1.5,  south  range  2  east,  sec- 
tions 1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  and  6. 

"Capitan  Grande" — township  14,  south  range  2  east,  sections 
25.  26,  27,  34,  35,  and  36;  township  14,  south  range  3  east,  sec- 
tions 31  and  32;  township  15,  south  range  2  east,  sections  1,  2, 
3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and  10;  township  15.  south  range  3  east,  sec- 
tions 5   and   6. 


MISSION  INDIAN  LANDS  199 

"Santa  Ysabel"  (including  Mesa  Grande) — township  11,  south 
range  2  east,  south  lialf  of  section  21,  northwest  quarter  and 
east  half  of  section  28,  and  sections  25,  26,  and  27;  township  11, 
south  range  3  east,  sections  25,  26,  27,  32,  33,  34,  35,  36,  and 
fractional  sections  29,  30,  and  32;  township  12,  south  range  2 
east,  sections  3,  10,  14,  15,  and  fractional  section  13;  township 
12,  south  range  2  east,  sections  1,  2,  12,  and  fractional  sections 
3,  4,  10,  11,   13,  and   14. 

"Pala" — township  8,  south  range  2  west,  northeast  quarter 
"of  section  33,  and  north  half  of  north  half  of  section  34. 

"Agua  Calieute " — townsliip  10,  south  range  3  east,  south- 
east quarter  of  section  23,  southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  west 
half  of  section  25,  and  east  half  of  section  26. 

"Lycuan" — township  16,  south  range  1  east,  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section   13. 

"Maja"- — towmship  13,  south  range  3  east,  northeast  quarter 
of   section   35. 

"Cosmet" — township    13,   soutli   range   3    east,   north   half   of 
northeast  quarter  of  section  25. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SAN   DIEGO   IN  THE   MEXICAN  WAR 

I  HE  people  of  San  Diego  lived  through  an  anx- 
ious and  exciting  experience  during  the  war 
with  ^lexico.  As  the  only  important  port  in 
Southern  California,  the  town  was  of  obvious 
strategic  importance,  and  both  sides  tried  to 
hold  it  as  a  base  of  operations.  The  most 
conspicuous  Americans  identified  with  the 
war  in  the  West,  Stockton.  Fremont,  Kearny, 
participated  in  movements  in  this  neighborhood,  and  the  hard- 
est battle  which  marked  the  progress  of  the  struggle  in  Califor- 
nia was  fought  at  San  Pasc[ual.  The  town  itself  was  taken, 
lost,  and  taken  again  by  the  American  forces  before  the  new 
flag  went  up  to  stay.  In  the  midst  of  it  all,  the  stream  of  social 
gaiety  flowed  on  with  only  slight  interruptions  and  the  joy  of 
it  was  actually  increased,  at  times,  l\v  the  presence  of  gallant 
soldiers  from  abroad. 

The  pleasantest  memory  of  the  period  which  comes  down  to 
us  is  the  attitude  of  native  Americans  who  had  married  Cal- 
ifornian  women  and  become  IMexican  citizens.  Beset  on  one 
hand  by  the  claims  of  their  native  land,  and  on  the  other  by 
their  obligations  to  their  adopted  country  and  the  natural  sym- 
pathies of  their  wives  with  the  race  to  which  the.^'  belonged, 
these  Americans  were  certainly  in  a  very  emliarrassing  sitiia- 
tion.  Without  exception,  and  with  little  or  no  hesitation,  they 
declared  for  the  United  States.  What  is  yet  more  beautiful  and 
touching,  from  the  American  point  of  view,  their  Spanish  wives 
stood  by  them,  even  when  their  own  fathers  and  brothers  Avere 
in  arms  on  the  IMexican  side.  If  blood  is  thicker  than  water, 
love  is  thicker  than  lilood — the  love  which  these  men  felt  for 
their  country  and  these  women  for  their  husbands.  The  native 
population  divided  between  the  two  sides,  while  some  remained 
neutral.  The  most  prominent  Spanish  families,  the  Argiiellos, 
Bandinis,  and  Pedrorenas,  promptly  espoused  the  American 
cause  when  they  found  that  war  was  inevitable.  They  clearly 
recognized  that  Mexico  could  not  hold  the  country  in  the  face 
of  the  growing  power  of  the  United  States,  and  wisely  decided 
to  throw  their  influence  on  the  side  which  could  offer  personal 
security,  material  prosperity,  and  liberal   self-government. 


THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 


201 


On  July  29,  1846,  Cai)tain  Samuel  F.  Dupout  arrived  from 
]\I()uteroy  in  the  sloop-of-\var,  Cycnie.  With  him  were  John  C. 
Fremont  and  his  eompany  of  80  men,  and  a  like  number  of 
marines;  also,  Kit  Carson,  Alexis  Godey,  and  four  Delaware 
Indians.  The  whole  composed  the  "California  Battalion"  of 
volunteers,  with  Fremont  as  major  and  Archibald  IT.  Gilh'spie 
as  captain.  This  foi-midable  party  received  a  friendly  s't'cet- 
ing  from  leading  citizens,  and  lost  no  time  in  hoisting  the  Amer- 
ican flag  on  the  Plaza  at  Old  Town.  The  log  of  the  Cyaiie 
shows  the  following  entries : 


CAPT.    SAMUEL   F.    DUPONT 

Who  came  to  San  Diego,  in  command  of  the  sloop-of-war  Cyane,  bringing  Fremont 

and  his  men 


July  29. — S  to  iiK'iidian.  At  10:30  liaiilcd  up  courses,  stand- 
iug  in  for  harbor  of  San  Diego.  At  11:30  camo  to  in  9'j  fatli- 
oms;  hoisted  out  boats.  Found  the  Mexican  brig  Jiianita  at 
anchor  in  the  harbor.  At  11:45  sent  Lieutenant  Higgins  along- 
side with  instructions  to  overiiaul  her  papers.  At  3:40  the 
launch  and  AUifiator,  under  coniinaud  of  Lieutenant  Kowan,  and 
the  Marine  Guard  under  Lieuteuiint  Maddox,  left  the  ship  to 
take  possession  of  the  town  of  San  Diego  and  hoist  the  Ameri- 
can flag.     From  4  to  8,  Major  Fremont  left  the  sliiji  with  a  de- 


202  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

taehmeut  of  his  men.  At  9  p.m.  launch  returned  and  at  l(i:50 
the  Alligator  with  Lieutenant  Eowan,  after  taking  possession 
of  San  Diego  and  hoisting  the  American  flag,  leaving  all  our 
marine  guard,  under  Lieutenant  Maddox,  on  shore  to  defend 
the  flag  and  town. 

July  30.- — Crew  employed  in  landing  Major  Fremont's  Bat- 
talion with  their  equipments.  8  to  meridian.  Finished  laud- 
ing  Major   Fremont's   troops   and   baggage. 

August  9.- — Lieutenant  Maddox  and  the  mariue  guard  came 
on  board;  also,  Lieutenant  George  L.  Selden.  Meridian  to  4  p. 
m.     Beating  out  to  seaward. 

The  flag'  used  on  this  occasion  was  a  naval  flag.  One  of  the 
first  American  flags  used  in  San  Diego  was  made  by  the  three 
daughters  of  Juan  Bandini, — Josefa,  Ysahel,  and  Arcadia,  of 
red  and  hhie  flannel  and  white  muslin  sheets.  The  only  one  of 
these  ladies  now  surviving  is  ]\Irs.  Arcadia  Bandini  de  Baker 
of  Santa  ^lonica.  Their  flag  is  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the 
government  at  Washington,  together  with  the  history  of  its  mak- 
ing and  use. 

Fremont's  orders  were  to  use  San  Diego  as  a  base  for  the 
capture  of  Los  Angeles.  After  collecting  cattle,  horses  and 
other  sup]ilies.  he  marched  north  Aug.  8th,  riding  "an  uncom- 
monly lieautiful  sorrel  hoi-se, "  which  had  been  presented  to  him 
by  Bandini.  A  small  garrison  was  left  behind.  l)ut  it  did  not 
remain  long,  or  was  regarded  by  the  citizens  as  inadecpiate,  for 
about  the  middle  of  September  twelve  men  under  Captain  Eze- 
kiel  Merritt  came  down  from  Los  Angeles  to  assist  in  the  pro- 
tection of  the  town,  in  response  to  a  demand  which  had  been 
voiced  by  Henry  D.  Fitch.  Prominent  citizens  aided  in  pre- 
serving order  and  accepted  offices  under  the  election  Avhich  was 
ordered  by  Stockton,  and  took  place  on  Sept.  loth.  ^Miguel  de 
Pedrorena  became  justice  of  the  peace,  and  Pedro  C.  Carrillo 
was  appointed  collector  of  customs. 

Los  Angeles  promptly  surrendered  to  Stockton  and  Fremont, 
who  joined  forces  when  the  former  arrived  from  San  Pedro  and 
the  latter  from  San  Diego.  The  victory  was  not  lasting,  how- 
ever, for  in  a  short  time  the  Californians  rose  and  recaptured 
Los  Angeles.  Thus  encouraged,  they  determined  to  regain  San 
Diego  also.  For  this  ])urpose  Francisco  Eico  was  sent  south 
early  in  October  with  fifty  men.  Rico  did  not  reach  San  Diego, 
being  recalled  in  haste  after  reaching  the  Santa  Margarita,  but 
Serbulo  Varela  was  soon  after  sent  in  his  stead.  A  number  of 
Merritt 's  men  had  been  sent  from  San  Diego  to  Los  Ang-eles 
from  time  to  time  with  dispatches,  so  that  there  were  at  that 
time  but  six  or  seven  left.  Ou  the  approach  of  Rico's  forces, 
John  Bidwell,  who  had  been  left  in  charge  at  San  Luis  Rey,  left 
that  place  and  joined  Merritt 's  party  at  San  Diego.  The  little 
garrison  were  alarmed  by  the  approach  of  the  Mexicans,  as  well 


MEXICAN  FLAG  AGAIN  HOISTED 


203 


as  b}'-  cippjireiitly  ■wc^ll-i'oniided  mniors  of  a  plot  of  the  Califor- 
iiians  to  kill  the  Americans.  They  therefore  embarked  on  boai-d 
the  Stonington,  a  whale-ship  then  lying  in  the  harbor,  which 
had  been  cliartered  by  the  government.  The  refugees  included 
the  gai-rison,  the  American  residents  and  their  families,  and  a 
number  of  Californians  who  had  reason  to  fear  for  their  safety. 
The  town  was  immediately  occupied  h\  the  enem^^,  and,  looking 
out  the  next  morning,  the  refugees  saw  the  Mexican  flag  float- 
ing from  the  flagstaff  above  the  plaza. 

In  this  emergency.  Bidwell  was  sent  to  San  Pedro  with  four 
men  in  a  small  boat  to  ask  for  reinforcements.  He  returned 
after  a  dangerous  voyage  and  steps  wei-c  immediately  taken  to 
recapture  the  town.    It  often  happens  tluit  w(>  worry  most  about 


MRS.    ARCADIA   DE   BAKER 

One  of  the  daughters  of  Juan  Bandini,  who  made  the  flag-  in  Old  Town  in  1846.    She  now 

resides  at  Santa  Monica  and  is  known  as  "the  wealthiest  woman  in 

Southern  California" 


things  that  never  occur,  and  the  refugees  in  the  whale-ship  wor- 
ried about  the  fact  that  two  of  the  old  cannon  lay  at  the  Pre- 
sidio, and  that  the  ^Mexicans  might  mount  them  on  ox-carts, 
bring  them  down  to  the  shore,  and  bombard  the  ships.  To  ren- 
der such  a  disaster  impossible.  Albert  B.  Smith  was  put  ashore 
at  La  Playa.  and  succeeded  in  reaching  Presidio  Hill  by  a  cii'- 
cuitous  route.  He  found  the  guns,  spiked  them,  and  returned 
in  safety.  Relieved  of  anxiety  on  this  score,  and  emboldened 
by  Smith's  exploit.  Captain  Merritt  the  next  morning  landed 
all  his  available  force,  together  with  the  whalers  and  two  can- 
non from  the  ships,  and  marched  upon  the  town.     The  [Mexican 


204  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

troupLU-s  WW.'  i'oi'iiK'il  in  battle  array  but  sodii  i^ave  way  and 
ran  otf  over  the  hills.  The  ^Mexican  flag  was  hauled  down  by 
Maria  Antonia  Machado,  who  carried  it  off  to  save  it  from  the 
Americans.  Albert  B.  Smith  then  climlied  the  tiagpole.  attached 
the  new  halyards  and  hauled  up  the  American  tiag-.  Since  that 
day,  it  has  never  been  hauled  down.  The  Mexicans  shot  at 
Smith  durinu'  liis  daring  feat,  and  he  replied  hy  waving  his  hat 
at  them  in  defiance.  He  was  not  hit  and  none  of  the  Americans 
were  wounded. 

Though  driven  out  of  town,  the  Mexican  rangers  retired  but 
a  short  distance  and  continued  the  siege.  They  were  reinforced 
late  in  October  by  100  men  from  Los  Angeles  under  command 
of  Captains  Cota  and  Carrillo.  Their  tactics  were  to  avoid 
engagements  and  cut  oft'  supplies.  Every  day  they  appeared 
on  the  hills  and  shot  at  anyone  in  sight,  and  on  one  occasion 
drove  some  cattle  away  from  the  flat  in  town.  As  a  conse- 
quence, provisions  grew  short  and  suft'ering  increased. 

Commodore  Stockton,  awakened  to  the  fact  that  California 
had  not  yet  been  conciuered,  came  to  San  Diego  early  in  Novem- 
ber in  the  60-gun  ship  Congress. 

The  situation  of  the  place  was  found  to  be  miserable  and  de- 
ploral)le.  Tbe  male  inhabitants  had  abandoned  tlie  town,  leav- 
ing their  women  and  children  dependent  upon  us  for  food.  He 
at  once  sent  Captain  Samuel  Gibson,  of  the  Battalion,  in  the 
Sioningion  to  Ensenada,  and  this  expedition  returned  in  a  few 
days  overland,  driving  about  90  horses  and  200  head  of  cattle 
into  the  town.  Stockton  had  in  the  meantime  made  a  trip  to 
San  Pedro  in  the  Congress,  and  on  his  return  the  ship  grounded 
and  was  in  danger  of  tumbling  over.  While  the  crew  were  en- 
gaged in  staying  the  ship  with  spars,  the  enemy,  irritated,  I 
suppose,  by  the  loss  of  his  animals,  came  down  in  considerable 
force  and  made  an  attack;  they  were,  however,  soon  driven  back 
with  the  loss  of  two  men  and  horses  killed,  and  four  wounded. 

The  date  of  this  report.  November  23rd,  marks  the  time  when 
vigorous  measures  were  liegun  for  clearing  the  country  of  the 
enemy.  Up  to  this  time  the  American  losses  were  one  man  killed 
and  one  wounded.  Varela  had  brought  a  cannon,  with  which 
he  attacked  the  post  from  the  hill.  Earthworks  had  been  thrown 
up  at  this  place  in  1838,  at  a  time  when  an  attack  was  expected 
from  General  Jose  Castro,  and  fi-om  this  protection  the  rangers 
menaced  the  town.  They  were  so  near  that  Juan  Eocha  could 
be  heard  shouting  to  his  aunt  for  ropa  [clothing]  and  chocolate. 
From  this  coign  of  vantage  J.  M.  Orozco  amused  himself  by 
shooting  at  Miguel  de  Pedrorena  while  he  was  escorting  a  young 
lady.  But  this  all  came  to  an  end  in  consequence  of  a  gallant 
exploit,  led  by  Captain  Santiago  E.  Argiiello. 

This  officer  assailed  the  hill,  his  company  dragging  a  cannon 
with  them,  drove  the  Californians  from  the  trenches,  captured 


FORT  STOCKTON  EQUIPPED 


205 


their  liiiii,  and  tnriK^d  it  against  them.  The  enemy  made  a  new 
stand  heliind  the  ohi  Presidio  walls,  but  soon  retreated  up  the 
valley  toward  the  mission.  Aroiiello  havino-  been  wounded  in 
the  le^'.  Captain  Pedroi'ciia  led  the  men  in  |)ursuit,  and  about 
a  mile  up  the  valley  exehan^ed  shots  with  a  party  nndcn"  Ijean- 
dro  Osuua.  A  little  farther  on  an  Ameriean,  ^'oing  to  water 
his  horse  in  a  cafiada,  was  killed.  A  skirmish  occurred  at  the 
old  mission,  where  a  few  ranuei-s  were  lakcn  prisoner.  The 
enemy  then  scattered,  a  paii  deserted,  and  Ihe  rest  retired  to 
the  Soledad. 

One  of  Stockton's  tirst  cares  was  now  to  place  the  town  in  a 
state  of  defense.     The  captured  earthwoi'lcs   were  speedily   ira- 


MIGUEL   DE   PEDRORENA 
A  leader  of  the  Spanish  families  who  supported  the  American  cause  in  the  war  with  Mexico 


proved  by  the  sailors  and  named  Fort  Stockton.  It  consisted 
of  a  ditch  or  moat,  behind  which  casks  tilled  with  earth  were 
placed  at  intervals  of  two  feet.  Twelve  guns  were  mounted  in 
the  spaces  between  these  casks  in  a  manner  to  command  the 
approaches  from  Los  Angeles  and  JNIission  Valley.  One  hun- 
dred men.  under  Lieut.  ;\nnor,  were  placed  in  the  fort  as  a  gar- 
rison.    The  work  was  well  done  and  constituted  a  formidable 


206  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

defense  for  the  town.  The  remains  of  the  earthworks  stand 
today,  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 

Stockton  now  be^an  i)reparations  for  an  advance  npon  Los 
Angeles.  The  first  thing  to  he  considered  was  a  snpply  of  cat- 
tle and  horses.  The  enemy  had  swept  the  country  clean  of  live- 
stock and  the  horses  brought  in  by  Captain  Gibson  were  in  such 
poor  condition  that  they  required  weeks  of  rest  to  become  fit 
for  service.  The  Stonivgton  was  therefore  sent  once  more  dowm 
the  coast,  about  the  end  of  November,  with  a  force  under  Cap- 
tain Samuel  J.  Hensley,  of  the  Battalion,  to  secure  supplies. 
In  this  work,  Bandini,  Pedrorena,  and  Argliello,  were  active. 
Stockton  had  laiuled  his  force  and,  while  awaiting  the  return 
of  this  expedition,  he  improved  the  time  l)y  organizing  and  drill- 
ing at  the  old  Presidio.  His  men  consisted  of  sailors  and 
marines  from  the  fleet,  members  of  Fremont's  "Battalion  of 
California  Volunteers,"  and  volunteers  who  enlisted  here.  Fre- 
mont was  operating  elsewhere,  but  Major  Gillespie,  Captains 
Hensley,  Gibson,  and  Bell,  Alexis  Godey,  and  some  Delaware 
Indians  of  his  command,  were  here.  John  Bidwell  was  quarter- 
master of  the  entire  force,  a  man  named  Fisher  was  commissary, 
and  Merritt  and  his  twelve  men  were  already  here.  Among  the 
local  volunteers,  Santiago  E.  Argliello  and  ^Miguel  de  Pedrorena 
were  made  captains  of  cavalry.  Philip  Crosthwaite.  who  was 
on  an  otter-hunting  expedition  to  Lower  California  in  October, 
reached  the  Rosario  Mission  and  was  surprised  there  to  meet 
the  fugitives,  Governor  Pico  and  his  secretary,  and  to  learn  of 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  hurried  home  and  enlisted  in 
the  volunteers,  under  Captain  Alexander  Bell.  William  Curley, 
John  C.  Stewart,  Julian  Ames,  John  Brown,  A.  B.  Smith,  John 
Post,  and  Thomas  Wrightington  were  members  of  the  same 
company. 

It  is  claimed  that  no  muster  rolls  of  these  volunteer  compa- 
nies were  ever  sent  to  Washington,  and  not  a  man  who  served 
in  them  was  ever  able  to  secure  a  discharge.  This  afterward 
w^orked  considerable  hardship  in  the  case  of  San  Diego  Volun- 
teers, making  it  impossible  to  obtain  the  ])ensions  to  which  they 
were  entitled.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  how,  without  turn- 
ing in  any  muster  rolls,  the  officers  secured  the  money  to  pay 
their  men.  The  late  Dr.  Winder  made  some  investigation  of 
the  matter,  as  well  as  the  present  writer ;  but  without  result.  It 
is  therefore  inqiossible  to  give  anything  like  a  complete  record 
of  the  services  of  San  Diegans  in  this  war,  the  only  informa- 
tion available  being  that  disclosed  by  the  participants  who  were 
thoughtful  enough  to  set  down  their  recollections.  Gillespie 
wrote  that  the  force  in  Stockton's  camp  luimbered  450  men. 
Strict    discipline    was    established,    the    men    were    thoroughly 


i 


SOCIAL  GAYETY  IN  WAR  TIME 


207 


drilled,  ;nid  even  the  ninriiies  soon  ])eu';in  to  present  i\  soldierly 
appearance  and  to  enjoy  the  new  work. 

Bandini  oft'ered  his  honse  to  the  Commodore,  and  it  was  made 
headqnarters.  There  was  soon  consideral)le  gaiety.  Stockton 
had  his  bnnd  play  dnring  the  diinier  honr,  and  invited  the  Ban- 
dini family  and  the  ladies  of  Sail  Diego  to  dine  with  him.  There 
were  also  dancing  parties  in  which  the  officers  participated  and 
many  conrteons  attentions  were  shown  the  ladies,  who  after- 
Avnrds  s])oke  of  this  ])oriod  with  lireat  enthnsinsm. 


SANTIAGO   E.    ARGUELLO 

Who  acquired  the  property  of  the  Mis.sion  of  San  Dieg-o  from  the  Mexican  Government  and 
was  prominent  in  political,  military  and  social  life 


Meanwhile,  an  Indian  scont  luid  liecii  scnl  out  to  ascertain 
where  the  Californian  forces  lay.  lie  returned  with  the  report 
that  aliout  fifty  of  them  were  encamped  at  San  Bernardo, 
some  thii-ty  miles  out.  This  force  in  reality  numbei-ed  about 
eighty  and  was  under  the  command  of  Gener;il  Andres  Pico. 
Captain  Gillespie  was  immediately  ordered  to  take  as  many  men 
as  he  could  mount,  with  a  piece  of  artillery,  and  endeavor  to 
to  surprise  them.  On  December  3rd,  before  this  expedition 
departed,  however,  two  deserters  from  Pico's  camp  came  in  and 


208  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

reported  that  Pico  had  been  reinforced  by  100  men.  While 
Stockton  was  examining'  these  deserters  at  his  headcjuarters, 
with  his  aid-de-camp,  Lieut.  Andrew  F.  V.  Gray,  of  the  Co)i- 
gress,  Captain  Edward  Stokes  arrived  from  the  Santa  Ysabel 
rancho,  l^ringing  the  following'  letter  from  General  Stephen  W. 
Kearny,  giving  the  information  that  ho  was  approaching  by 
way  of  Warner's: 

Ileadqnarters  Army  of  tbo  West,  Camp  at  Warner's. 

December  2,  1846. 

Sir:  I  (this  afternoon)  reached  here,  escorted  by  a  party  of 
the  First  Eegiment  Dragoons.  I  came  by  orders  from  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  We  left  Santa  Fe  on  the  25th  of 
September,  having  taken  possession  of  New  Mexico,  annexed  it 
to  the  United  States,  established  a  civil  government  in  that  ter- 
ritory, and  secured  order,  peace,  and  quietness  there. 

If  you  can  send  a  party  to  open  communication  Avith  us,  on 
the  route  to  this  place,  and  to  inform  me  of  the  state  of  affairs 
in  California,  I  wish  you  would  do  so,  and  as  quickly  as 
possible. 

The  fear  of  this  letter  falling  into  Mexican  hands  prevents 
me  from  writing  more. 

Your  express  by  Mr.  Carson  was  met  on  the  Del  Norte,  and 
your  mail  must  have  reached  Washington  at  least  ten  days 
since.  You  might  use  the  bearer,  Mr.  Stokes,  to  conduct  your 
party  to  this  place. 

Very  respectfully   your   obedient   servant, 

S.    W.    KEAENY, 

Brigadier-General,   U.S.A. 

This  letter  greatly  surprised  Stockton,  who  had  previously 
known  nothing  of  Kearny's  approach.  It  did  not  occur  to  him 
that  Kearny  might  be  in  any  danger,  but  on  the  contrary  he 
seems  to  have  thought  that  the  junction  of  these  new  forces 
with  the  expedition  he  was  about  to  send  out  might  afford  an 
excellent  opportunity  of  carrying  out  his  own  plan  for  the  sur- 
prise and  defeat  of  the  enemy.  He  therefore  hurried  the  prep- 
arations for  Gillespie's  departure,  and  in  the  meantime  sent  the 
following  reply: 

Headquarters,  San  Diego,  December  3,  1846, 

half-past  six  o'clock  p.  m. 
Sir: 

I  have  this  moment  received  your  note  of  yesterday,  by  Mr. 
Stokes,  and  have  ordered  Captain  Gillespie,  with  a  detachment 
of  mounted  riflemen  and  a  fiel(l-])iece,  to  your  camp  without 
delay. 

Captain  Gillespie  is  well-informed  in  relation  to  the  present 
state  of  things  in  California,  and  will  give  you  all  needful  in- 
formation. I  need  not,  therefore,  detain  him  liy  saying  anything 
on  the  subject.  T  will  merely  state  that  I  have  this  evening  re- 
ceived information,  by  two  deserters  from  the  rebel  camp,  of 
the   arrival  of  an   additional   force  in   this  neighborhood  of  one 


OFF  TO  RESCUE  KEARNY  209 

liuiulred   incn,   which    in   ndclition   to   the   force  previously   here, 
makes  their  imiiibcr  about  one  luindred  and  fifty. 

I  send  with  Captain  Gillespie,  as  a  guide,  one  of  the  deserters, 
that  you  may  make  inquiries  of  him,  and.  if  you  see  fit,  en- 
deavor  to   surprise   them. 

Faithfully,    ynui    (ibcilifiit    sfrvant, 

ROBT.    F.   STOCKTON. 

Commander-in-chief  and  Governor  of  the  Territory  of  California. 

The  expedition  left  the  same  eveniuo;,  December  3rd,  about 
7  o'clock.  It  consisted  of  Captain  Gilles])ie  in  conniiand;  Caj)- 
tain  Sanuiel  (libson,  with  a  company  of  twenty-five  volunteers, 
among-  whom  were  Philip  Crosthwaite  of  'Captain  Bell 's  com- 

pan\-.  Alexis  Godey. Burgess,  and  Henry  Booker ;  and 

ten  car])ineei-s  from  the  Congrats  under  Actiner  Lieutenant  Ed- 
ward F.  I^eale  and  Midsliii)nian  James  M.  Duncan;  thirty-nine 
men  in  all.  Captain  Stokes  also  returned  with  the  ]iarty  and 
one  of  the  deserters,  Rafael  Machado.  was  sent  as  a  guide. 

They  took  all  the  available  horses  in  San  Diego  and  a  brass 
four-pounder  piece.  The  mountings  of  this  gun  were  made  by 
the  ship's  carpenter,  but  it  proved  impossible  to  secure  harness 
for  hitching  horses  to  it,  and  the  men  were  obliged  to  drag  it 
along  ])y  lariats  attached  to  the  pommels  of  their  saddles.  The 
route  taken  was  by  way  of  the  old  mission  and  El  Cajon  to  the 
Santa  Maria  Rancho.  The  trip  was  full  of  hardships,  rations 
giving  out  and  the  expedition  moving  over  rough  and  unbeaten 
trails.  On  the  second  day  out.  December  5th.  at  about  one 
P.  ]\r..  they  joined  General  Kearny's  force  at  Ballena,  between 
the  Santa  Ysabel  and  Santa  Maria  ranehos,  without  having  met 
the  enemy.  The  junction  of  the  forces  was  effected  in  the  midst 
of  a  cold,  pouring  rain. 

A  council  of  war  was  now  held.  It  was  certain  that  the 
enemy  was  between  the  Americans  and  San  Diego,  but  in  what 
force  was  not  known ;  he  might  have  80  men  or  he  might  have 
double  that  number.  It  appears  that  Lieutenant  Bealo  strongly 
advised  avoiding  an  engagement,  and  suggested  that  an  effort 
be  made,  instead,  to  capture  the  horses  of  the  Mexicans.  It  is 
highly  probable  that  in  giving  this  advice  Beale  was  influenced 
by  the  reports  of  the  numbers  and  enui]mient  of  the  Califor- 
nians,  and  also  bv  the  wretched  condition  of  Kearny's  force. 
Both  the  men  and  their  mounts  were  emaciated  and  weak,  and 
the  cold  rain  which  had  been  falling  all  day  and  which  contin- 
ued to  fall  all  night  caused  them  to  suffer  extremely  and  ren- 
dered them  almost  unable  to  walk. 

Kearny,  however,  determined  to  attack.  Without  doubt,  he 
was  influenced  to  this  course  largely  by  the  advice  of  Kit  Car- 
son, who  declared  that  the  Californians  were  cowards  and  would 
not  fight.    At  first  he  planned  to  send  Captain  ^Nloore  with  sixty 


210  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

men  aiul  ninkc  a  night  attack,  but  for  some  reason  changed  his 
mind  and  sent  Lieutenant  Thomas  C.  Hammond,  with  ten  men, 
inchiding  Sergeant  Williams  and  Private  George  Pierce,  with 
Machado  as  guide,  to  reconnoiter.  They  succeeded  in  getting 
near  the  Indian  huts  at  San  Pasqual  occupied  by  Pico's  men, 
and  the  guide  and  Sergeant  Williams  advanced  to  the  door  and 
saw  the  ukmi  asleep  on  the  floor  and  a  lone  Indian  keeping 
g'uard.  The\'  beckoned  the  Indian  without  the  hut  and  began 
to  converse  with  him,  when  a  sentinel  hailed  the  main  party, 
and  they  all  retreated  precipitately.  In  this  retreat  they  lost  a 
blanket  and  jacket,  wliich  betrayed  the  ])i'esence  of  the  force 
to  Pico. 

Hammonil  returned  about  2  A.  ]\1.  and  reported  that  he  had 
found  the  enemy  and  had  been  seen,  but  not  pursued,  liy  them. 
Notwithstanding  the  misfortune  to  the  reconnoitering  party, 
the  General  seems  still  to  have  expected,  as  Dr.  John  S.  Griffin 
naively  says  in  his  journal,  to  "surprise"  the  enemy.  Camp 
was  broken  at  once,  and  soon  all  were  ui)on  the  road,  in  the 
following  order:  First  rode  an  advance  guard  of  twelve  men, 
on  the  best  horses,  under  Captain  Abraham  R.  Johnston.  After 
them  came  General  Kearny  with  Lieutenants  Wm.  H.  Emory 
and  AVm.  IT.  Warner,  of  the  engineers,  and  four  or  five  of  their 
men.  Then  CViptain  Benjamin  D.  ^Nloore  and  Lieutenant  Ham- 
mond, with  about  fifty  mounted  dragoons.  Next  Captains  Gil- 
lespie and  Gibson,  with  twenty  volunteers.  Then  Lieutenant 
John  AV.  Davidson,  in  charge  of  the  artillery,  with  a  few  dra- 
goons. The  balance  of  the  force,  some  fifty  or  sixty  mini 
"brought  up  the  rear  under  Major  Swords.  The  rain  ceased  with 
daylight,  but  it  was  very  cold  and  the  men,  having  had  no  shel- 
ter dui'ing  the  night,  were  stiff  and  jaded.  And,  strangest  of 
all.  ihcir  arms  ivere  not  recharged! 

As  day  dawned  on  the  morning  of  December  fith,  the  advance 
came  out  on  the  hillside  al)ove  the  village  of  San  Pasqual.  and, 
looldng  down  into  the  valley  through  the  fog,  saw  the  camp- 
fii-es  of  the  Californians  l)urning  brightly  and  the  lancers  mov- 
ing, about  three-(|uarters  of  a  mile  away.  AVithout  waiting  for 
the  main  force  to  come  up,  Kearny  ordei'ed  a  trot,  then  a  charge, 
and  Captain  Johnston  and  his  twelve  men  dashed  down  the  hill. 
After  them  rode  the  General  and  his  little  party.  It  was  not, 
as  a  rule,  the  policy  of  the  Californians  to  stand  still  and  receive 
a  charge.  The.v  were  supei'b  horsemen  and  skilled  lancers,  but 
not  beef-eaters.  But,  seeing  only  twenty  men  coming,  they 
stood  firm,  discharged  what  nuiskets  and  pistols  they  had,  and 
received  the  Americans  upon  their  lances.  Cai>tain  Johnston 
fell  at  the  first  fire  with  a  ball  through  his  forehead,  and  a 
dragoon  Avas  badly  wounded.  The  men  kept  on,  there  was  a 
confused  struggle  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  the  Americans 


'/ 


COMMODORE   ROBERT   F.    STOCKTON 
In  command  of  the  American  forces  at  San  Diego  during  the  Mexican  War 


212  .      HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

fell  back.  A  ranger  now  dashed  by;  it  was  Juan  (or  Francisco) 
Lara,  and  Lieutenant  Beale  fared  several  shots  at  him  and 
brought  him  down  with  a  In'oken  leg.  Six  months  later  Lara's 
leg  was  amputated  by  a  French  physician  and  he  lived  in  Los 
Angeles  many  years.  By  this  time  the  main  l)ody  of  the  troops 
came  in  sight  and,  seeing  them,  the  Califoruians  drew  off  and 
retreated  rapidly  down  the  valley. 

Captain  Moore,  seeing  the  Californians  retreating,  now  ordered 
Lieutenant  Hammond  and  his  men  to  follow,  which  they  did. 
in  a  wild  charge.  The  statement  has  l)een  made  that  a  recall 
was  sounded  which  the  men  did  not  hear,  l)ut  there  is  no  official 
confirmation  of  this  statement.  Kearny  ordered  the  troops  to 
close  up  in  support,  and  they  did  so  to  the  best  of  their  ability. 
But  the  tired  and  balky  mules  could  not  be  hurried  and  only 
those  having  the  best  mounts,  about  fifty  in  all,  came  up  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  second  conflict ;  the  balance  of  the  men  never 
saw  the  enemy  until  after  the  fight  was  over.  The  charge  was 
made  without  any  attempt  at  order;  the  men  rushed  down  the 
road  at  full  speed,  pell-mell,  hurly-burly,  strung  out  in  a  line 
half  a  mile  long. 

At  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile  from  the  village  the  road 
divided,  the  main  road  leading  out  upon  the  ])lain  toward  the 
San  Bernardo  and  Rincon  ranchos  and  a  branch  leading  up  a 
ravine  on  the  side  of  the  valley.  Upon  reaching  this  point,  part 
of  Pico's  men  kept  straight  ahead  on  the  main  road  and  the 
remainder  turned  up  this  side  road,  where  they  were  concealed 
by  a  rocky  spur,  and  waited  for  the  Americans  to  come.  Those 
of  the  troops  who  were  riding  the  best  horses  soon  reached  and 
passed  this  ambuscade,  among  them  General  Kearny.  Captain 
Moore.  Lieutenant  Hammond.  Captain  Gillespie,  and  a  num])er 
of  the  men;  then  Pico  suddenly  wheeled  his  lancers  and  charged 
back  on  their  front,  and  the  detachment  in  ambush  rode  out 
and  attacked  them  on  the  side  and  rear.  A  lu-ief  but  terrible 
butchery  ensued. 

The  miserable  condition  of  Kearny's  men  and  mounts  was 
evident  enough  to  the  Californians.  who  are  said  to  have 
exclaimed,  as  they  saw  them  coming,  ''Aqni  hamos  liacor 
tnatanza!"  ["Here  we  are  going  to  have  a  slaughter!"].  The 
Americans  found  their  arms  useless,  but  def(Mided  themselves 
as  l)est  they  could  with  sabres  and  clubbed  nniskets.  A  scene 
of  the  greatest  confusion  followed,  the  chief  feature  of  which 
was  the  ruthless  slaughter  of  the  almost  helpless  troops  by  the 
rango's.  This  lasted  about  ten  miimtes;  and  then,  the  strug- 
gling troops  on  their  lagging  mules  lieginning  to  come  up  and 
the  howitzers  approaching,  the  Californians  again  put  spurs  to 
their  horses  and  galloped  away,  part  going  d(^wii  the  valley  and 
others  over  the  hills. 


THE  CRUELTY  OF  WAR  213 

The  stoi'.v  of  this  tefril)le  eoiiHict  was  never  kiiown  in  detail, 
even  by  the  participants,  bnt  a  few  of  the  incidents  and  a  rec- 
ord of  results  have  come  down  to  us.  Captain  Moore  was  killed 
early  in  the  fight,  in  a  combat  Avith  Pico.  Tlie  Ceneral  was 
armed  with  a  lance  and  the  captain  with  a  sword,  whicli  broke 
at  the  hilt  while  ])arryin2;-  the  lance.  Mooiv  tlien  i-eached  for 
his  pistol,  seeing  which,  two  rangers  rushed  in  and  killed  him 
with  their  lances.  One  of  these  men  was  Jose  Antonio  Sc^-i-ano, 
the  other  Leandro  Osuna,  both  residents  of  l^an  Diego.  Moore's 
body  was  found  near  a  pond  of  water,  his  sword  hilt  still  in  his 
hand,  and  the  blade  broken  in  two  pieces. 

Captain  Gillespie,  a  skillful  swordsman,  was  attacked  by 
Dolores  Tliguera.  commonly  called  ''El  Guero."  Gillespie  re- 
ceived first  a  slight  wound  in  the  chest,  and  was  then  struck 
full  in  the  mouth  and  had  two  of  his  teeth  knocked  out.  He 
was  thrown  from  his  horse  where  he  lay  still  and  feigned  death. 
Higuera  seized  his  horse  with  the  saddle  and  bridle,  also  Gilles- 
pie's fine  zcvapp,  and  made  off  with  them.  Had  he  not  been  in 
such  haste  to  secuiv  this  loot,  he  would  probably  have  discov- 
ered that  his  antagonist  was  shamming,  and  have  killed  him. 
He  afterward  offered  to  restore  this  property  to  Gillespie,  who 
refused  to  receive  it.  since  its  loss  had  saved  his  life.  General 
Kearny  was  singled  out  by  a  young  Californiaii.  wlio  twice 
wounded  him,  but  si)ared  his  life.  Wliile  in  San  Diego  at  a 
later  date  the  General  inquired  for  this  young  man,  had  him 
call,  greeted  him  warmly,  and  ]n-aised  his  brave  and  soldierlv 
conduct.  Carson  was  thrown  from  bis  luu-se  and  his  rifle  was 
broken. 

Davis  says  that  in  this  fight  General  Pico's  conduct  was 
brave  and  honorable;  that  he  watched  the  conduct  of  his  men. 
and  whenever  he  saw  a  soldiei-  unhorsed  and  wounded,  called 
upon  his  men  to  spare  his  life.  Kearny  says  in  his  report,  how- 
ever, that  most  of  the  killed  and  wounded  were  lanced  while 
unhorsed  and  incapable  of  resistance.  They  all  had  as  many 
as  three  lance  thrusts  and  some  as  many  as  ten.  An  instance 
of  unsoldierly  conduct  is  related  by  Fremont  as  having  been 
told  him  in  Los  Angeles  by  an  eye-witness:  "One  of  the  Cal- 
ifornians  in  the  meJfc  ran  his  sword  through  the  body  of  a 
Christian  or  Mexican  Indian  who  was  fighting  on  the  American 
side.  AVhen  he  felt  the  sword  going  through  him  the  Indian 
knew  that  he  was  killed  and  called  out,  'Baafa!'  [enouehl. 
'Ofra  i'fz.'  [another  time],  said  the  soldier-murderei-.  an<l  rail 
him  through  the  second  time.  'AM  esfd'  [there  it  is],  said  he. 
■''S'^',  senor'  [yes.  sirl.  said  the  dying  man.  with  the  submission 
of  an  Indian  to  his  fate." 

Conspicuous  among  the  rangers  were  Ca]itain  Juan  B. 
Moreno.  Jium  Lobo  a   ranchero  of  ^lission  Vieja.  and  Dolores 


214  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Hiiiiiera.  Casimiro  Riil)io  was  womidc^d,  one  account  says 
fatally.  The  horse  of  Pablo  Vejar  fell  early  in  the  second  fight, 
and  he  was  taken  prisoner.  Gabriel  Garcia  killed  Henry 
Booker,  one  of  the  men  in  charue  of  a  liowit/er,  which  was  cap- 
tured by  the  Californians.  This  gun  came  ni)  at  fnll  speed  near 
the  close  of  the  fight,  the  nniles  being  frightened  and  the  men 
unable  to  control  them,  and  plunged  madly  after  the  retreat- 
ing enemy.  Seeing  this,  the  rangers  closed  in  on  the  gun,  cap- 
tured one  of  the  men  in  charge  of  it,  wounded  the  second,  killed 
Booker,  and  made  oft'  with  the  howitzer. 

The  Americans  rallied  around  the  remaining  howitzer  in  a 
circle  to  protect  it  from  attack.  As  soon  as  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  Californians  had  drawn  off,  Kearny's  first  thought  was 
of  his  rear  giuird.  following  at  some  distance  under  Major 
Swords,  with  the  Itaggage.  Some  of  the  Californians  were  still 
seen  in  the  rear,  and  Lieutenant  Emory  was  sent  back  with  a 
few  men.  He.  met  IMajor  Swords  at  the  foot  of  the  first  hill,  in 
the  rear  of  the  enemy's  first  position.  Returning,  they  took  up 
the  body  of  Captain  Johnston,  Avhich  was  partially  plundered, 
his  watch  being  gone,  and  carried  it  into  camp. 

It  was  a  sadl^'  demoralized  body  of  men  who  now  stood  on 
their  guard  waiting  to  see  what  would  happen  next.  The  first 
report  sent  in  by  Kearny  stated  that  he  had  18  killed  and  11 
or  15  wounded.  His  official  report  places  the  killed  at  19  and 
the  wounded  at  15.  Griffin's  diary  says  19  men  were  killed,  one 
missing  sup]iosed  to  be  killed,  and  17  Avounded.  Tlie  best  con- 
clusion appears  to  be  that  19  was  the  correct  numlier  of  the 
killed ;  that  19  were  wounded  and  3  of  these  died  later, 
making  the  total  deaths  22;  and  one  missing;  making  the  total 
casualties,  39 — every  man,  save  two,  engaged.  The  discrepancy 
is  only  in  the  inimber  of  wounded.  General  Kearny  having 
apparently  failed  to  tak(^  any  account  of  a  number  of  slight 
wounds.  Only  one  death  and  one  wound  were  caused  by  fire- 
arms, all  the  rest  lieing  due  to  lance  and  sabre  thrusts.  Fol- 
lowing is  a  list  of  those  killed  and  wounded. 

Killed:  Captains  Johnston  and  Moore;  Lieutenant  Ham- 
mond; Sergeants  !Moore  and  Whitness;  Corporals  West  and 
Ramsdale;  privates  Ashmead,  Campbell,  Dunlop.  Balton,  Lucky, 
Repsoll,  Gholston,  Fiel  and  Gregory,  of  the  dragoons,  and 
Booker,  of  the,  volunteers ;  farrier  Johnson  ;  and  ]\Ienard,  of  the 
engineers. 

^Missing  and  supposed  to  have  been  killed:  IMcKaffray,  of  the 
dragoons. 

Wounded :  General  Kearny ;  C'aptains  Gillespie  and  Gibson, 
of  the  volunteers;  Lieutenants  Warner  of  the  engineers  and 
Beale  of  the  navy;  Sergeant  Cox,  dragoons,  who  died  December 
9th  ;  Roubidoux.  intei'preter ;  Kennedy  of  the  dragoons,  who  died 


THE  MEXICAN  LOSSES 


215 


at  San  Dieyo  Doeember  21s1.  D.ivid  Streeter,  who  also  died;  and 
ten  otlier  draiioons. 

Of  the  two  prisoners  taken  1)\-  the  Americans,  l^ara  and  \'e.iar, 
tile  lattei'  was  placed  nnder  the  care  of  Philip  Crosthwaite,  who 
soon  had  to  protect  liim  from  attack  by  one  of  the  Delaware 
Indians.  This  Indian  apparently  did  not  Ix'lieve  in  taking-  pris- 
oners, and  therefore  proceeded  to  try  to  massacre  Vejar,  but  was 
prevented  from  doinu'  so. 

Regarding  tlie  losses  of  the  Californians,  the  accounts  are  very 
conflicting.  General  Kearny,  in  his  official  report,  expressed  the 
opinion  that  "the  number  of  their  dead  and  wounded  mnst  have 
been  considerable."  although  he  adds  that  they  carried  off 
all   but   a   few.     Judge   Benjamin    Hayes,    who    was   personally 


LIEUT.    EDWARD   F.    BEALE 
Who  accompanied  Kearny  on  his  ill-fated  march  to  San  Diego 


acquainted  with  numy  of  the  Californiaiis.  and  their  I'l-ieiid  tor 
years,  was  never  able  to  discover  that  a  single  one  of  Pico's  men 
was  killed.  The  prisoner,  Vejar.  thought  that  Tjara  was  kilh^d 
aud  twelve  men  Avounded.  He  had  pi'obal)ly  seen  Lara  fall  from 
his  horse  at  the  time  he  was  shot;  but  as  Vejar  was  taken  pris- 
oner early  in  the  second  action,  he  could  have  known  little  about 
the  casiuilties.  Pico  himself  repoi-fed  to  General  P^'lores  that 
he  had  eleven  men  slightly  wounded.  Two  da\s  lafei-.  upon 
Kearny's  offering  to  send  Dr.  Griffin  to  Pico's  camp  to  care  for 
his  wounded,  the  latter  replied  that  he  had  none.  Doubtless  this 
was  a  piece  of  bravado,  but  it  is  clearly  the  fact  that  not  more 
than  eleven  or  twelve  were  wounded,  and  there  is  a  strong  doubt 


216  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

whether  a  single  man  was  killed.  A  ranger  named  Andrado  was 
shot  in  the  thigh ;  lie  lived  at  Old  Town  in  after  years.  Another 
wounded  ranger  was  named  Alvarado ;  he  was  shot  in  the  thigh, 
Imt  recovered. 

Camp  was  made  and  the  dead  and  wounded  collected  and  cared 
for.  Kearn}^  first  gave  orders  that  the  eighteen  bodies  should  be 
packed  on  mules,  to  be  carried  to  San  Diego ;  but  it  was  found 
there  were  not  enough  strong  mules  to  carry  both  the  dead  and 
the  wounded,  and  it  therefore  became  necessary  to  bury  the  dead. 
They  were  interred  at  night,  under  a  willow  tree  to  the  east  of 
the  camp.  The  burial  was  hurried  and  secret,  as  it  was  believed 
that  if  the  graves  Avere  found  the  bodies  would  be  disinterred 
and  stripped.  The  bodies  were  afterward  removed  to  the  Amer- 
ican cemetery  near  Old  Town,  but  now  rest  in  the  military  bury- 
ing ground  in  the  government  cemetery  at  La  Playa.  "Thus." 
says  Emory  in  his  diary,  with  deep  feeling,  "were  put  to  rest 
together,  and  forever,  a  band  of  brave  and  heroic  men.  The  long 
march  of  two  thousand  miles  had  brought  our  little  command, 
both  officers  and  men.  to  laiow  each  other  well.  Comnumity  of 
hardships,  dangers,  and  |)rivations,  had  produced  relations  of 
mutual  regard  which  caused  their  loss  to  sink  deeply  in  our 
memories. ' ' 

The  General's  wounds  were  so  serious  that  it  became  neces- 
sary for  Captain  Turner  to  take  conmiand.  The  day  was  spent 
in  caring  for  the  wounded  and  making  ambulances.  It  took  Dr. 
Griffin  all  day  to  dress  the  wounds.  The  situation  of  the  camp 
Avas  on  a  little  height,  surrounded  by  cactus,  in  a  defensible  posi- 
tion, but  without  Avater.  The  ground  was  covered  with  rocks  and 
cacti,  so  that  it  was  hard  to  find  a  place  Avhere  the  Avounded  could 
rest  comfortably.  The  provisions  Avere  exhausted,  the  horses 
dead,  the  mules  on  their  last  legs,  the  men  Avorn  out  and  suffer- 
ing from  the  cold,  and  the  Californians  on  guard  near  by.  Pico 
reported  to  Flores  that  he  only  aAvaited  the  arrival  of  Cota  to 
attack,  and  that  the  Americans  could  not  escape. 

Among  the  matters  to  Avhich  Captain  Turner  gave  early  atten- 
tion Avere  the  questions  of  reinforcements  and  transportation  for 
the  Avounded.  Being  informed  by  Beale  that  there  Avere  Avheeled 
vehicles  in  San  Diego,  he  determined  to  send  there  for  help. 
Godey,  Burgess,  and  one  other  man  Avere  selected  for  this  service 
and  started  early  in  the  day,  bearing  the  folloAvina-  letter: 

Headquarters,  Caiiij)  near  Sau  Pasqual,  December  (5,  1846. 
Comnioilore   E.   F.   Stockton,  U.   S.   NaA-y,   San   Diego. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  report  to  you  that  at  early  dawn  this 
morning  Gen.  Kearny,  with  a  detachment  of  the  United  States 
Dragoons  and  Captain  Gillespie's  Company  of  mounted  ritlemen, 
had  an  engagement  with  a  very  considerable  ^Mexican  force  near 
tills  camp. 


217 


or  THE 

ACTIONS 

!-()i;i;i!T  A'i' 

IN 
I  TPKi;  (  Al.FIOI^'NIA 

lu'lvn-cn  ihr-  AmuTK  alls 
.111(1   Mi'Mr.illv-' 

"■,"  IK  H. 


"% 


% 


-'■  >^  '  , 


y 


218  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

We  have  about  eighteen  killed  and  fourteen  or  fifteen 
wounded,  several  so  severely  that  it  may  be  impracticable  to 
move  them  for  several  days.  I  have  to  suggest  to  you  the  pro- 
priety of  despatching,  without  delay,  a  considerable  force  to 
meet  us  on  the  road  to  San  Diego,  via  the  Soledad  and  San  Ber- 
nardo, or  to  find  us  at  this  place;  also  that  you  will  send  up 
carts  or  some  other  means  of  transporting  our  wounded  to  San 
Diego.  We  are  without  provisions,  and  in  our  present  situation 
find  it  impracticable  to  obtain  cattle  from  the  ranches  in  the 
vicinity. 

Gen.  Kearny  is  among  the  wounded,  but  it  is  hoped  iu)t  dan- 
gerously; Captains  Moore  and  Johnston,  First  Dragoons,  killed; 
Lieutenant   Hammond,   First    Dragoons,    dangerously   wounded. 
I  am,  sir,   \'ery  res])eetfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

H.    S.    TURNEE. 

Captain,   U.S.A.,   Commanding. 

Of  the  adventures  of  these  men  on  the  way  ^ve  know  little, 
hut  they  reached  San  Diego  safely  the  following'  day,  December 
7th.  Another  messenger  had  preceded  them ;  this  was  Captain 
Stokes  who,  after  witnessing  the  beginning  of  the  battle  and 
without  waiting  to  see  the^  close,  hurried  away  to  San  Diego  and 
gave  a  highly-colored  account.  He  saw  a  great  many  men 
engaged  and  Avas  sure  the  Americans  had  sutfered  defeat.  Very 
little  attention  seems  to  have  been  paid  to  this  vague  report,  but 
when  Godey  and  his  comrades  arrived  the  next  day  the  gravity 
of  the  situation  began  to  be  realized.  This  incident  has  been 
nnich  discussed,  and  one  writer  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  Stock- 
ton only  left  a  fatidango  at  Bandini's  house  long  enough  to  hear 
Godey 's  story,  gave  a  contemptuous  refusal  to  do  anything,  and 
returned  to  the  merry-making.  It  may  be  true  that  the  Commo- 
dore was  found  at  a  l)all.  and  also  that  he  showed  irritation  and 
made  use  of  hasty  words,  as  he  might  be  excused  for  doing.  It 
appears,  however,  that  he  at  once  set  about  the  sending  of  a 
relief  expedition  with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  and  at  first  in- 
tended to  have  it  leave  on  the  evening  of  the  7th  and  to  .ioin  it 
himself  the  next  day,  but  it  was  found  that  it  could  not  move 
so  soon.  Gillespie's  party  had  taken  all  the  good  horses,  Hens- 
ley  had  not  yet  returned  from  the  south  with  more,  there  were 
no  carriages  for  the  guns,  and  su])])lies  of  all  kinds  were  scarce. 
Godey  and  his  men  returned  with  letters  to  Kearny,  but  seem 
to  have  carried  with  them  the  impression  that  no  relief  would 
be  sent. 

At  10  P.  ]\I.  on  the  9th  a  messenger  arrived  who  made  the 
urgency  of  the  situation  unmistakable.  This  was  Lieutenant 
Beale,  bleeding,  exhausted,  reduced  to  a  skeleton,  and  scarcely 
recognizable.  He  was  so  weak  that  the  pickets  had  to  carry  him 
in,  and  soon  after  telling  his  story  became  delirious.  Of  his  two 
fellow  me.ssengers,  Carson  and  the  Indian  alcalde  Panto,  the  lat- 


THE  FLIGHT  OF  KEARNY'S  MEN  219 

ter  arrived  a  short  time  l)et'oro,  and  the  former  soon  after,  he 
came  in.  It  was  now  imperative  that  the  relief  eohimn  should 
start,  at  once.  The  ell'ort  to  get  the  artillery  ready  was  thei-e- 
fore  abandoned,  and  215  of  the  sailors  and  marines  who  had 
been  drilling-  on  Presidio  Hill  were  started  off,  with  one  field- 
piece,  under  Lieutenant  Andrew  F.  V.  Gray,  of  the  Confjr<.ss. 
Lieutenant  -laeol)  Zeilin,  also  of  the  Congress,  was  in  charge  of 
the  marines.  They  marched  until  nearly  daylight  on  the  lOth, 
then  camped  in  a  secluded  spot,  and  remained  concealed  during 
the  day.  They  succeeded  in  evading  Pico's  men  and  joined 
Kearny's  force  at  2  P.  M.  on  the  11th. 

After  burying  their  dead  on  the  night  of  the  6th,  the  Amer- 
icans spent  a  sleepless  and  uncomfortable  night.  "Day  dawned," 
says  Emory,  "on  the  most  tattered  aiul  ill-fed  detachment  of 
men  that  ever  the  United  States  mustered  under  ht-r  colors." 
Kearny  was  able  to  resume  command,  and  at  an  early  h(»ui'  gave 
the  order  to  march.  The  wounded  were  placed  in  six  litters 
made  by  "the  mountain  men,"  Peterson,  Londean,  and  Perrot, 
formed  of  poles  placed  like  the  shafts  of  a  wagon  and  eaeli 
dragged  by  a  mule,  one  end  of  the  poles  resting  on  the  ground 
and  the  men  reclining  on  a  bed  of  willow  branches  woven 
between.  This  was  but  a  crude  conveyaru'e  aiul  the  roughness 
and  stoniness  of  the  ground  caused  the  wouiuled  great  suffering, 
despite  the  utmost  care.  The  wounded  and  baggage  were  placed 
in  the  center. 

The  route  taken  was  toward  the  San  Bernardo  rancho,  along 
the  hills  to  the  right  of  the  stream.  The  enemy  retired  as  they 
advanced,  keeping  near  the  bed  of  the  stream,  on  the  opposite 
side.  At  Snook's  San  Bernardo  rancho  the  horses  and  mules 
were  watered  and  a  few  chickens  killed  for  the  sick.  They  also 
found  a  numl)er  of  cattle  here  and  proceeded  to  drive  them 
along,  moving  toward  the  bed  of  the  stream  in  the  hojie  of  find- 
ing grass.  About  a  mile  from  the  ranch  house,  near  the  foot  of 
a  detached  hill,  the  Californians  suddenly  appeared  in  the  rear 
and  a  body  of  thirty  or  forty  of  them  dashed  oft'  to  tnke  posses- 
sion of  the  hill.  Kearny  sent  Captain  Gibson  with  six  or  eight 
volunteers,  who  drove  these  horsemen  from  the  hill  with  a  few 
volleys  and  without  loss.  The  booty  in  this  skirmish  consisted 
of  three  spears,  abandoned  by  the  foe.  The  cattle  had  V)een  lost 
in  this  movement,  and  as  it  appeared  that  any  a1temj)t  <it  ;i  fur- 
ther advance  would  bring  on  a  fight  and  might  cause  the  loss 
of  the  wounded  and  the  baggage,  it  was  (h^termined  to  halt  for 
the  night.  The  men  were  now  dismounted  with  tlie  intention  of 
performing  the  rest  of  the  journey  on  foot.  An  insufficient  sup- 
ply of  water  was  secured  by  digging  and  the  fattest  of  the  mules 
was  killed  for  meat.  The  enemy  took  up  a  position  across  the 
creek  and  threw  out  pickets  and  the  siege  began. 


220  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

E;irly  the  lu'xt  morning  (December  8th)  a  ranger  came  in  with 
a  tiag  of  truce,  bringing  some  sugar,  tea,  and  a  change  of  cloth- 
ing for  Captain  Gillespie,  sent  by  his  servant  from  San  Diego. 
He  also  brought  from  Pico  a  proposal  for  the  exchange  of  pris- 
oners. Godey,  Burgess,  and  their  companion  had  been'  captured 
by  the  Califoruians.  Pico  treated  these  prisoners  Avell  and 
inquired  for  the  welfare  of  the  wounded,  particularly  for  Captain 
Gillespie,  whom  he  knew.  He  had  four  prisoners,  Godey,  Bur- 
gess, their  unnamed  companion,  and  the  man  captured  with 
the  howitzer.     Kearny  had  only  Vejar  and  the  wounded  Lara. 

Emory's  simple  and  straightforward  account  reads  as  follows: 

In  the  morning  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent  into  our  camp,  in- 
forming us  that  Andres  Pico,  the  commander  of  the  Mexican 
forces,  had  just  captured  four  Americans,  and  wished  to  ex- 
change them  for  a  like  uumlter  of  Califoruians.  We  had  but 
one  to  exchange  (this  was  Pablo  Vejar),  and  with  this  fellow  I 
was  sent  to  meet  Andres  Pico,  whom  I  found  to  be  a  gentle- 
manly looking  and  rather  handsome  man.  The  conversation 
Avas  short,  for  I  sa^w  the  man  he  washed  to  exchange  was  Bur- 
gess, one  of  those  sent  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  to  San  Diego, 
and  we  were  very  anxious  to  know  the  result  of  his  mission. 
Taking  rather  a  contenijjtuous  leave  of  his  late  captors,  he  in- 
formed us  of  the  safe  arrival  of  himself  and  Godey  at  San 
Diego.  He  also  stated  that  when  captured,  his  party,  consist- 
ing of  himself  and  two  others,  on  their  return  from  San  Diego, 
had  previously  "cached'"  their  letters  under  a  tree,  which  he 
pointed  out;  i)ut  on  subsequent  examination,  we  found  the  let- 
ters had  been  abstracted. 

The  remaining  prisoners  were  sent  to  Los  Angeles  by  Pico. 
The  letters  buried  by  Godey  and  his  comrades  to  keep  them 
from  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands,  having  been  found  and 
seized,  Kearny  failed  to  receive  them ;  and  Burgess,  ignorant 
of  their  contents,  gave  the  general  to  understand  that  help  was 
refused.  The  situation  now  seemed  more  desperate  than  ever. 
The  wounded  were  in  no  condition  to  move,  and  starv^atiori  was 
drawing  near.  It  was  therefore  determined  to  send  another 
party  to  San  Diego  with  despatches,  in  the  hope  of  having 
Stockton  understand  the  true  situation,  and  of  prevailing  upon 
him  to  come  to  their  relief.  Lieutenant  Beale  volunteered  for 
this  service,  and  Carson  and  the  Indian  alcalde  Panto  were 
also  sent.  The  command  settled  down  to  await  the  result  of  this 
mission,  though  not  hopeful  of  its  outcome,  and  determined  to 
cut  their  way  through  as  soon  as  the  wounded  were  in  condi- 
tion to  move.  In  the  meantime,  the  baggage  was  burned,  as 
it  was  thought  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  of  getting  through 
with  it. 

The  dispatch-bearers  began  their  hazardous  journey  at  night, 
creeping  past  the  sentinels  inch  by  inch,  so  close  they  could 


222  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

hear  them  whisper  and  smell  the  smoke  of  their  cigaritos.  At 
one  time  Beale  thought  all  was  over.  Pressing  Carson's  thigh 
to  get  his  attention,  and  jnitting  his  mouth  upon  his  ear,  he 
whispered:  "We  are  gone;  let  us  jump  and  tight  it  out." 
Carson  said:  "No;  I  have  been  in  worse  places  before  and 
Providence  saved  me."  His  religious  reliance  encouraged  the 
sinking  hopes  of  Beale,  and  tliey  got  through.  After  passing 
the  sentinels  they  took  ditferent  routes,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
all  arrived.  The  Indian,  being  acquainted  witli  the  country, 
arrived  tii'st  and  in  best  condition  ;  but  Beale  and  Carson  suf- 
fered  t(n'ribly  fi-om  the   nx'ks,   thorns,   and  fatigue. 

This  night,  December  8-9th,  was  one  of  the  hardest  the  little 
company  had  spent.  Emory  tells  one  of  the  incidents  with 
touching  simplicity : 

Don  Antonio  Eobideaux,  a  thin  man  of  55  years,  slept  next  to 
me.  The  loss  of  blood  from  his  wounds,  added  to  the  coldness 
of  the  night,  28  degrees  Fahrenheit,  made  me  think  he  would 
never  see  daylight,  but  I  was  mistaken.  He  woke  me  to  ask  if 
I  did  not  smell  coffee,  and  exjiressed  the  belief  that  a  cup  of 
that  beverage  would  save  his  life,  and  that  nothing  else  would. 
Not  knowing-  there  had  been  any  coffee  in  camp  for  many  days, 
I  supposed  that  a  dream  had  carried  him  back  to  the  cafes  of 
St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans,  and  it  was  with  some  surprise  that 
I  found  my  cook  heating  a  cup  of  coffee  over  a  small  fire  made 
of  wild  sage.  One  of  the  most  agreeable  little  offices  performed 
in  my  life,  and  I  believe  in  the  cook's,  to  whom  the  coffee  be- 
longed, w^as  to  pour  this  precious  draft  into  the  waning  body 
of  our  friend  Eobideaux.  His  warmth  returned  and  wnth  it 
hopes  of  life. 

In  gratitude  he  gave  me  the  half  of  a  cake  made  of  brown 
flour,  almost  black  with  dirt,  and  which  had,  for  greater  se- 
curity been  hidden  in  the  clothes  of  his  Mexican  servant,  a  man 
who  scorned  ablutions.  I  ate  more  than  half  without  inspec- 
tion, when,  on  breaking  off  a  piece,  the  bodies  of  several  of  the 
most  loathsome  insects  were  exposed  to  my  view.  My  hunger, 
however,  overcame  my  fastidiousness,  and  the  morceau  did  not 
appear  particularly   disgusting. 

The  annals  of  the  following  day  (December  9th)  are  pathet- 
ically brief.  Dr.  Griffin's  diary  says:  "In  camp;  nothing 
going  on ;  the  enemy  parading  the  hills  on  the  other  side  of 
the  valley.  We  are  reduced  to  mule  meat. ' '  Sergeant  Cox  died 
in  the  night,  and  was  buried  on  the  hill  in  a  deep  grave  and 
covered  with  stones.  He  was  a  young  man  and  married  a  pretty 
wife  .just  before  leaving  Fort  Leavenworth. 

On  the  10th,  while  the  horses  and  mules  were  grazing  near 
by,  the  Californians  tried  to  stampede  them  by  driving  up  a 
band  of  wild  horses  and  mules,  s(mie  with  dry  hides  attached 
to  their  tails.  This  movement  was  seen,  and  by  active  work,  a 
stampede  prevented.  One  of  the  enemy's  mules  was  shot,  and, 
proving  fat,  was  butchered  and  eaten  and  proved,  in  the  Ian- 


GENERALSHIP  AT  SAN  PASQUAL  223 

yiiage  ol'  J3r.  Grit'lin,  "a  j^odsciid."  Thr  woiindcd  were  mow 
improving,  and  Dr.  Griffin  reported  that  most  of  them  could 
ride.  Genei-al  Kearny  therefore  detei-mined  to  move  the  next 
day.  About  two  oV'h)ek  the  next  moriiiim-,  however-,  when 
everything  was  quiet  in  camp,  one  of  llu'  sentries  repoi-ted  lliat 
he  heard  voices  speaking  in  English.  'I'liis  was  slioiMly  followed 
by  the  tramp  of  feet,  and  soon  Lieutenant  Gray  and  his  men 
were  welcomed  into  camp  with  joy.  They  busied  themselves 
until  day  in  distributing  food  atui  caring  foi-  the  wants  of  their 
comrades.  The  jack-tai-s  were  delighted  with  the  adventure 
and  only  sorry  they  had  no  opi)ortunity  to  fight.  When  the 
sun  iv)se  the  enemy  had  disappeared,  leaving  the  cattle  behind. 
At  ten  o'clock,  camp  was  broken  and  the  marcli  connnenced,  in 
close  order.  At  night  they  arrived  at  Alvarado's  Peiiasqultos 
rancho,  where  they  camped  and  made  free  with  the  turkeys, 
chickens,  goats,  and  wine.  A  good  night's  rest  followed,  and 
on  the  morning  of  the  12th  they  set  out  gaily  for  San  Uiego, 
which  they  reached  about  4  P.  M.  and  received  a  warm  welcome 
from  the  troops  and  inhabitants. 

The  wounded  men  were  distrilmted  among  the  private  fam- 
ilies in  San  Diego,  taken  in  charge  by  Dr.  R.  F.  iMaxwell,  sur- 
geon of  the  Cyane,  and  very  tenderly  nursed  back  to  health. 
All  but  two  recovered :  Streeter,  who  was  cut  in  sixteen  places, 
and  Kennedy,  who  died  December  21st.  Wm.  Heath  Davis, 
who  visited  the  invalids,  says  that  they  all  had  the  utmost  hor- 
ror of  the  Californians.  He  spoke  particularly  of  one  young 
man  who  lapsed  into  delirium  during  his  visit  and  called  out  in 
terror,  thinking  the  Californians  were  upon  him. 

1!')W  shall  Kearny's  encounter  with  Pico  be  ehai-aclerized  ? 
Kearny  himself  called  it  a  "victory,"  and  thought  it  might 
"assist  in  forming  the  wreath  of  our  national  glory."  Looking 
back  to  it  over  a  period  of  sixty  years,  it  is  impossible  to  regard 
it  otherwise  than  as  a  defeat,  even  though  it  is  true  that  the 
Americans  tinally  reached  San  Diego,  which  was  their  objective, 
with  the  major  portion  of  their  forces.  The  performance  of  a 
conunander  must  be  judged  by  the  use  he  makes  of  his  opj'yor- 
tunities,  and  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  General  Kearny  could 
have  made  worse  use  of  the  opportunity  which  he  had,  after  the 
union  of  his  forces  w'ith  the  first  relief  party,  under  Gillesjue, 
to  overwhelm  the  ^Fexican  commander  and  end  the  war  in  Cal- 
ifornia at  San  Pasqual. 

Had  he  chosen  to  avoid  a  fight  he  might  have  found  excuse 
for  such  a  course  in  the  fact  that  his  men  and  hoi-ses  were 
utterly  Avorn  out  by  a  lons!'  and  arduous  journe\-  across  the  des- 
erts, and  that  the  way  was  open,  as  shown  ])\-  GiUespie's  marcli. 
There  are  times  when  the  avoidance  of  battle  is  good  general- 
shi]i.      Peale   advised   this   coui'se   and   ther(^    wei*e   surely  .*;ome 


224  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

arguments  in  its  favor,  yet  it  seems  clear  that  most  command- 
ers in  General  Kearny's  situation  would  have  chosen  the  oppor- 
tunity to  strike  a  decisive  blow  at  the  enemy  aud  thus  crown 
the  long  adventure  of  the  Army  of  the  West  with  a  victory  of 
lasting  importance. 

Choosing  the  latter  course,  Kearny  should  have  planned  and 
fought  his  l)attle  in  thorough,  soldierly  fashion,  instead  of  neg- 
lecting every  precaution  and  exposing  his  followers  to  every 
dangei".  On  the  night  before  the  battle  he  had  a  good  knowledge 
of  the  situation  and  numbers  of  the  enemy,  and  knew  that  his 
own  presence  had  been  discovered  through  the  detection  of  his 
scouts.  He  knew  Pico  had  separated  himself  from  his  horses, 
and  he  had  the  benefit  of  the  suggestion  that  it  would  be  well 
to  capture  the  animals,  then  make  a  night  attack  on  the  Mex- 
ican camp.  Failing  to  adopt  this  plan,  it  was  obviously  his 
duty  to  prepare  his  forces  for  battle  in  the  morning  by  having 
them  recharge  their  water-soaked  guns,  form  in  a  compact  col- 
umn, and  advance  in  such  a  manner  that  they  could  be  readily 
disposed  to  advantage  and  so  meet  the  situation  as  it  should 
develop.  Think  of  sending  men  into  battle  with  guns  that  could 
not  1)6  fired,  mounted  upon  horses  that  could  scarcely  be  ridden, 
and  scattered  along  over  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  in  helter- 
skelter  fashion !  That  is  what  General  Kearny  did.  The  result 
was  inevitable — nearly  every  one  of  his  men  actually  engaged 
was  horribly  slaughtered  or  grievously  wounded,  and  his  own  life 
was  saved  only  by  the  magnanimity  of  a  gallant  young  foeman. 
He  was  able  to  inflict  almost  no  damage  in  return  for  this  fierce 
assault,  and  there  is  a  strong  probability  that  he  would  have 
been  utterly  annihilated,  or  compelled  to  surrender  before  reach- 
ing San  Diego,  except  for  the  timely  arrival  of  a  second  and 
powerful  relief  party  from  Commodore  Stockton  with  ample 
ammunition  and  provisions. 

The  only  possible  explanation  of  Kearny's  incapacity  was  that 
he  underestimated  the  strength  and  ability  of  his  chivalrous 
opponent.  This  fault  is  very  serious  in  a  soldier  under  any 
circumstances:  in  Kearny's  case,  with  the  information  supplied 
by  Stockton,  by  a  deserter  from  Pico's  camp  who  came  with 
Gillespie,  and  by  his  own  scouts,  it  was  utterly  inexcusable.  All 
the  glory  of  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual  belongs  to  Genei-al 
Andres  Pico  and  his  Mexican  rangers.  They  made  a  hard  and 
skillful  fight  with  nothing  but  lances  and  swords  against  a  more 
numerous  enemy  armed  with  muskets  and  howitzers,  and  with- 
drew in  good  order  prepared  to  renew  the  attack  at  any  favor- 
able moment.  The  issue  was  finally  determined  by  the  arrival 
of  reinforcements,  not  by  the  skill  of  the  American  commander. 
If  Kearny  be  judged  by  the  use  he  made  of  his  opportunity,  he 
met  insflorious  defeat  at  San  Pasqual.     It  is  hard  for  a  soldier 


END  OF  THE  WAR 


225 


to  confess  his  mistakes,  and  Kearn\-  made  no  attempt  to  do  >■;<•. 
In  liis  official  report,  he  suppressed  material  facts  and  tried  to 
regain  the  lost  battle  on  paper.  Doubtless  he  suffered  some 
injustice  at  the  hands  of  his  rivals  for  supreme  authority  in 
California,  but  the  undisputed  facts  of  the  case  leave  no  room 
to  doubt  his  failure. 

The  war  ended,  so  far  as  California  was  concerned,  with  the 
battle  of  San  Gabriel,  near  Los  Angeles,  Januarv  9,  1847.  and 


GEN.    ANDRES   PICO 
The  gallant  Mexican  commander  at  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual 


the  treaty  signed  four  days  later  by  John  C.  Fremont  for  the 
United  States,  and  Andres  Pico,  for  Mexico.  Fi'om  that  day 
henceforth  San  Diego  was  undisputed  American  soil. 

The  29th  day  of  July,  1906,  the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  the 
first  raising  of  the  American  tiag,  was  observed  by  the  people 
of  San  Diego  with  fitting  ceremonies.  Fully  four  thousand 
people  assembled  on  the  plaza  at  Old  Town  and  gave  earnest 
attention  to  the  proceedings.  In  the  procession  were  included 
the  Mexican  War  Veterans,  the  Loyal  Leuion.  Confederate  Vet- 


226 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


eraiis,  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repul^lie, 
Spanish  War  Veterans,  a  battalion  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  Artil- 
lery, Company  B  Seventh  Infantry  National  Guard  of  Califor- 
nia, ]\Iasonic  and  other  fraternal  societies,  and  public  officials. 
Mayor  John  L.  Sehon,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  arrange- 
ments, acted  as  master  of  ceremonies.  After  the  invocation,  a 
large  new  flag,  donated  bv  the  sons  of  George  Lvons,  was  raised 


,-:;..    ti^    1SS\ 


GEN.    STEPHEN   W.    KEARNY 
In  command  of  the  American  forces  at  San  Pasqual 


on  the  flagpole  already  standing  on  the  old  plaza,  by  j\Ia,jor 
Charles  G.  Woodward,  U.  S.  A.  Following  this,  a  large  gran- 
ite boulder,  designed  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  first  flag  was 
raised  sixty  years  before,  and  bearing  a  suitable  inscription, 
was  unveiled  by  Miss  Fremont,  daughter  of  John  C.  Fremont, 
assisted  by  Mayor  Sehon,  U.  S.  Grant  Jr.,  Major  Edwin  A. 
Sherman,  president  of  the  Mexican  War  Veterans,  Colonel  E. 
T.  Blackmer,  Captain  Joseph  D.  Dexter,  and  others.  A  salute 
was  fired,  and  the  oration  of  the  day  was  delivered  by  William 


SIXTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  227 

E.  Smytho.  Anolhei-  fcatuiv  of  the  day  was  the  planting:  of 
a  large  date  palm  by  Dr.  T.  C.  Stockton  and  a  eonuuittee  of 
citizens,  to  connnemorate  the  work  of  Commodore  Stockton  at 
San  Diego.  Hon.  W.  W.  Bowers  made  appropriate  remarks  at 
this  ceremony. 


CHAPTER  IX 
PUBLIC   AFFAIRS  AFTER  THE  WAR 

OON  fifter  the  formal  ending  of  the  war  in 
California  the  famous  ^lormon  Battalion 
reached  San  Diego  l)y  way  of  Warner's. 
They  camped  for  a  few  days  at  the  old 
mission,  and  the  journal  of  their  colonel 
supi)lies  the  following  description  of  the  his- 
toric spot  as  it  appeared  on  January  29^ 
1847: 

The  building  l)ei'.g  dilapidated,  and  in  use  by  some  dirty  In- 
dians, I  camped  the  battalion  on  the  flat  below.  There  are 
around  us  extensive  gardens  and  vineyards,  wells  and  cisterns, 
more  or  less  fallen  into  decay  and  disorder;  but  also  olive  and 
picturesque  date  trees,  flourishing  and  ornamental.  There  is 
no  fuel  for  miles  around,  and  the  dependence  for  water  is  some 
rather  distant  pools  in  the  sandy  San  Diego,  which  runs  (some- 
times)  down  to  the  ocean. 

The  Mormons  remained  but  a  short  time  at  first,  but  were 
reorganized  at  Los  Angeles  and  a  company  of  78  returned  to 
Fort  Stockton,  where  it  served  as  a  garrison  for  a  period  of  six 
months.  They  were  under  the  command  of  Captain  Jesse  D. 
Hunter,  whose  wife  presented  him  with  a  son  having  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  child  whose  parents  w^ere  both  Amer- 
icans, to  be  born  in  Old  San  Diego.  The  boy  w^as  named  Diego 
Hunter  and  lived  for  several  years  in  San  Diego.  He  died,  sev- 
eral years  ago,  at  San  Luis  Rey,  where  his  father  was  Indian 
agent. 

The  Mormons,  then  as  now  objects  of  uinisual  interest,  appear- 
to  have  performed  their  duties  successfully  while  in  San  Diego. 
These  duties  were  not  arduous — merely  those  of  a  garrison  in 
time  of  peace — and  they  had  time  to  ply  their  trades,  burning 
bricks,  digging  wells,  making  log-]iumps,  and  doing  other  things 
really  more  useful  than  soldiering.  One  of  their  number,  Henry 
G.  Boyle,  relates  in  his  diary:  "I  think  I  whitewashed  all  San 
Diego.  We  did  their  blacksmithing.  ]nit  up  a  bakery,  made  and 
repaired  carts,  and,  in  fine,  did  all  we  could  to  benefit  ourselves 
as  well  as  the  citizens.  We  never  had  any  trouble  with  Cali- 
fornians  or  Indians,  nor  they  with  us." 

One  thing  they  did  which  the  present  historian   regrets,   as 
those  of  the  future  are  likely  to.     Quartered  in  an  old  build- 


FIRST  AMERICAN  VOTERS  229 

ing  in  which  public  documents  were  stored,  they  used  some  of 
these  documents  for  fuel  and  thereby  destroyed  the  records  of 
the  past. 

Upon  the  departure  of  the  Mormons,  they  were  succeeded  by 
Company  I  of  the  famous  Stephenson  Rearinirnt.  This  com- 
pany was  raised  at  Bath,  New  York,  and  its  officers  were : 
captain,  "William  E.  Shannon;  Lieutenants,  Pabner  B.  Hewlett, 
Henry  ^Nlagee.  and  AVilliam  H.  Smith ;  sergeants,  Joshua  S. 
Vincent.  Joseph  B.  Logan,  and  Joseph  Evans.  The  company 
was  mustered  out  here  on  September  25.  1848,  and  this  was  the 
end  of  the  military  occupation  of  San  Diego. 

Jose  Ramon  Argiiello,  who  Avas  appointed  sub-prefect  April 
3rd  and  took  office  on  the  12th,  1846.  was  the  last  Mexican  pre- 
fect. The  last  ^Mexican  jneces  de  paz,  or  alcaldes,  were  Jose 
Antonio  Estudillo  and  Juan  M.  Osuna.  In  August,  Miguel  de 
Pedrorena  took  Estudillo 's  place,  the  latter  being  absent.  On 
September  15th.  at  the  election  ordered  by  Stockton.  Henry 
D.  Fitch  and  Joaquin  Ortega  were  electf  1  alcaldes,  the  fii-st 
under  American  rule.  At  the  custom  house,  Henry  D.  Fitch 
was  in  charge  but  resigned  in  April;  Pedro  C.  Carrillo  was 
acting  as  collector  when  the  Americans  came  and  Avas  reap- 
pointed by  Stockton  upon  taking  the  oath. 

Pedrorena  was  appointed  collector  on  June  24,  1847.  but  as 
military'  orders  required  the  commanding  officer  in  each  port  to 
serve  in  that  capacity.  Lieutenant  Robert  Clift.  of  the  Mormon 
company,  filled  the  place. 

The  constitutional  convention  met  at  ^lonterey  in  Sei)t em- 
ber. 1849.  Miguel  de  Pedrorena  and  Henry  Hill  representing 
San  Diego.  The  legislature  met  the  following  winter  and 
launched  the  great  American  State  of  California.  San  Diego 
was  the  first  county  created  under  the  act  of  February'  2.  1850, 
and  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles  made  up  the  first  judicial  dis- 
trict. The  first  legislature  also  provided  for  a  custom  house 
at  San  Diego.  Two  voting  precincts  were  established  under  a 
law  providing  for  the  first  elections  in  the  new  state,  one  at  Old 
Town,  the  other  at  La  Playa — and  the  official  record  of  the  elec- 
tion held  here  April  1.  1850.  reads  as  follows: 

FIRST  PRECINCT— TOTES  FOR  OFFICERS. 

The  undersigned  judges  and  clerks  of  election  held  in  the  first 
precinct  of  the  county  of  San  Diego,  State  of  California,  on  the 
first  day  of  April.  18-50,  do  hereby  certify,  that  at  said  election 
there  were  eighty-eight  votes  polled,  and  that  the  following  state- 
ment presents  an  abstract  of  all  the  votes  cast  at  said  election  for 
the  oflBcers  designated  in  the  third  section  of  an  act  entitled 
"An  Act  to  pro^-ide  for  holding  the  first  County  Election," 
and  that  the  accompanying  Poll  List  gives  the  names  of  all 
persons  so   voting. 


230 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


San  Diego,  April  2,  185 U. 


P. 

C. 


Exos   Wall, 
John   Conger, 

H.  HooFr, 

H.  Fitzgerald, 


Judges. 


Clerks. 


For 
For 


For 
For 


Clerk   of   the   Supreme   Court — No   Candidate. 

District   Attorney — William  C.   Ferrell,   79;   Miles  K.   Cren- 
shaw,  4. 

County  Judge — John   Hays,  80;   William   C.   Ferrell,   1. 

County  Clerk — Eichard  Eust,   82. 
For  County  Attorney— Thos.  W.  Sutherland,  71 ;  AVm.  C.  Ferrell,  4. 
For   County   Surveyor — Henry   Clayton,   So. 

Sheriff — Agostiu    Haraszthy,    45;    Philip    Crosthwaite,   42. 

Eecorder — Henry   Matsell,   50;    A.   Jay   Smith,   34. 

Assessor — Jose    Antonio   Estudillo,   81. 

Coroner — John  Brown,  45. 

Treasurer — .Tuan  Bandini. 


For 
For 
For 
For 
For 


First  Precinct — Poll  List. 


Poll  list  of  an  election  held  for  county  officers  at  San.  Diego, 
California,   April   1,  1850    (1st  precinct): 


1.  Thos.  W.  Sutherland.  45. 

2.  John    Snook.  46. 

3.  Andrus   Ybarra.  47. 

4.  Don  Juan  Bandini.  48. 

5.  .Juan  Maehado.  49. 

6.  Jose    T.    Moreno.  50. 

7.  Philip    Crosthwaite.  51. 

8.  Henry   C.   Matsell.  52. 

9.  L.  G."  Ingalls.  53. 

10.  David    A.    Williams.  54. 

11.  Charles    Morris.  55. 

12.  William   Tongue.  56. 

13.  Eanion  Eodriguez.  57. 

14.  John    Post.  58. 

15.  Andrew  Cotton.  59. 

16.  James  Murphv.  60. 

17.  Luther    Gilbert.  61. 

18.  Agostin    Haraszthy.  62. 

19.  William   Leamy  63. 

20.  John   Semple.   "  64. 

21.  Daniel   Con.  65. 

22.  John    A.    Follmer.  66. 

23.  Benjamin  F.   McCready.  67. 

24.  William   Powder.  68. 

25.  Peter   Gribbin.  69. 

26.  James    Campbell.  70. 

27.  Ernest    Schaeffer.  71. 

28.  Edward   H.    Fitzgerald.  72. 

29.  W.  F.   Tilghman.  73. 

30.  George   F.   Evans.  74. 

31.  George   Viard.  75. 

32.  W.    A.    Slaughter.  76. 

33.  B.   Bangs.  77, 


Eobert  Peterson. 

A.    Jav    Smith. 

F.    M."  Holley. 

Joseph   Whitehead. 

John    Peters. 

Albert  B.  Smith. 

Charles   C.  Varney. 

Augustus    Eing. 

Leandro    Osuna. 

Francisco  Maria  Alvarado. 

E.    G.    Brown. 

William   Curly. 

John   C.  Stewart. 

James    Tryong. 

Darius    Gardiner. 

Adolph   Savin. 

Antonio   Moreno. 

Lorento   Amador. 

Jose   Lena   Lopez. 

Francisco   Lopez. 

Tomas  Lopez. 

Jose   Moreno. 

John   B.   Eeid. 

Jose    Briones. 

Juan  Diego  Osuna. 

John   Havs. 

P.  H.  Hooff. 

Enos   Wall. 

George  Gaskill. 

Jose  Escajadlllo. 

Francisco  Eodriguez. 

Peter  Faur. 

John  Woodfir. 


FIRST  STATE  ELECTION  231 

34.  Philip    Garcia.  78.  Kaphaol     Machado. 

35.  David     Ferguson.  79.  Aljel   Watkiusou. 

30.  Tlioiuas    W.    Sweeney.  80.  Santiago  E.  Argiiello. 

37.  Henry    Killer.  81.  Jose    Antoni';    Agiiirre. 

38.  John   B.   Pearson.  82.  Santiago   Argiiello. 

39.  David    Shepley.  83.  C.  P.  Noell. 

40.  John  Conger.  84.  Joseph  P.  Israel. 

41.  William    White.  85.   William    H.    Moon. 

42.  Henry    Adams.  86.  Lewis   E.   Colgate. 

43.  Thomas   Patrickson.  87.  Jose    Maria    Argiiello. 

44.  Frederic    Hutchins.  88.  Salvador    Aguzer. 

We  the  undersigned,  Clerks  of  Election  held  in  the  first  pre- 
cinct of  the  county  of  San  Diego,  State  of  California,  on  the 
first  day  of  April,  1850,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing 
Poll  List  gives  the  names  of  all  persons  voting  at  said  election. 

C.     11.     FiTZCKRALD,    I     ^  , 

I.     II     II  ■  C'lerks. 

San  Diego,  Ajiril   -2,   1S50. 

SECOND  PEECINCT— VOTES  FOR  OFFICERS. 

List  of  votes  polled  at  the  Playa,  Precinct  No.  2,  San  Diego, 
April  1,  1850,  pursuant  to  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  passed 
:\Iarch  2,   1850. 

(Rere  follows  the  tall}''  list,  which  is  omitted,  the  aggregate 
vote  for  each  candidate  being  given  in  the  annexed  certificate.) 

We  the  undersigned.  Judges  of  said  Election,  do  hereby  certi- 
fy that  W'm.  C.  Ferreil  had  OS  votes  for  District  Attorney;  that 
.lohn  Hays  had  08  votes  for  County  .Judge;  that  Agostin 
Haraszthy  had  02  votes  for  Sheriff;  that  Philip  Crosthwaite 
had  5  votes  for  Sheriff;  that  Henry  C.  Matsell  had  53  votes 
for  Recorder;  that  A.  Jay  Smith  had  14  votes  for  Recorder; 
that  Thos.  W.  Sutherland  had  06  votes  for  County  Attorney; 
that  Richard  Rust  had  64  votes  for  County  Clerk;  that  Jose 
Antonio  Estudillo  had  62  votes  for  Assessor;  that  Juan  Ban- 
dini  had  63  votes  for  Coi;nty  Treasurer;  that  John  Broi^n  had 
65  votes  for  Coroner;  that  Albert  B.  Gray  had  56  votes  for 
County  Surveyor;  that  Henry  Clayton  had  12  votes  for  County 
Surveyor;  and  that  Festus  G.  Patton  had  one  vote  for  County 
Clerk." 

.John   R.    Bleeckek,    | 

John   Hensley,  \  ^"^8^^  «*  Election. 

D.  Barbee,  •  I 

-r^    T     /-r  f  Clerks  of  Election. 

D.   L.   Gardixer,    \ 

Second  Precinct — Poll  List. 

Pursuant  to  notice  from  the  Prefect  of  the  District  of  San 
Diego,  the  electors,  residents  of  the  Plaj^a  San  Diego,  met  at 
the  store  of  Messrs.  Gardiner  and  Bleecker  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m. 
on  the  1st  of  April,  and  proceeded  to  elect  Edward  T.  Tre- 
maine  Inspector  of  Election,  who  forthwith  proceeded  to  appoint 
John  R.  Bleecker  and  .John  Hensley  Judges  of  Election,  and 
David  L.  Gardiner  and  Daniel  Barbee  Clerks,  whereupon  the 
polls  were  declared  open,  and  the  following  is  a  list  of  the 
voters: 


232 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


1. 

George  P.  Tibbitts. 

36. 

2. 

Albert  B.   Smith. 

37. 

O. 

Samuel   P.   Heintzelman. 

3b. 

4. 

John    E.    Summers. 

39. 

5. 

John  E.  Bleecker. 

40. 

6. 

David  L.  Gardiner. 

41. 

7. 

Frederick   Emmil. 

42. 

8. 

Edward   T.    Tremaiue. 

43. 

9. 

"William  B.  Banks. 

44. 

10. 

Jonas    Cader. 

45. 

11. 

Thomas  D.  Johns. 

46. 

12. 

Festus    G.    Patton. 

47. 

13. 

Francis   Mason. 

48. 

14. 

"William    H.    Hemmenway. 

15. 

Peter   S.    Eeed. 

49. 

16. 

John   Adams. 

50. 

17. 

"V\^illiam    Pearl. 

51. 

18. 

"William   Botsford. 

■  52. 

19. 

Jacob   Gray. 

53. 

20. 

John  Kenuey. 

54. 

21. 

John  Latham. 

55. 

22. 

James  Reed. 

56. 

23. 

Patrick    McDonnah. 

57. 

24. 

Patrick  -Symcox. 

58. 

25. 

Henry   Wilber. 

59. 

26. 

John    Brown. 

60. 

27. 

James   Johnson. 

61. 

28. 

Peter   Mealey. 

62. 

29. 

John   Corbett. 

63. 

30. 

Peter    McCinehie. 

64. 

31. 

James   McCormiek. 

65. 

32. 

Thomas    McGinnis. 

66. 

33. 

Frederic    Toling. 

67. 

34. 

John   McHue. 

68. 

35. 

.John    Edwards. 

69. 

Antern   Giler. 
Timothy  Quin. 
Tobias   Bedell. 
George  ,B.   Tallman. 
.James    "White. 
Edward    Eustis. 
Joseph    Cooper. 
Edward  Daily. 
Joseph   Ivufter. 
Michael    Leahy. 
Bartholomew   Sherman. 
.John    Warner. 
Patrick  Xewman,  (objected 
to). 

Henry  Hopp   (objected  to). 
Thomas   Fox. 
Daniel   Barbee. 
Oliver    Dupree. 
Edward   Brennan. 
Michael   Vickers. 
Michael    Cadle. 
James    Blair. 
Thomas   ICneeland. 
Francis   Dushant. 
Edward    Murray. 
Lawrence    Kearney. 
John  Hensley. 
Michael   Fitzgerald. 
Sylvanus 
Moses  O'Neil. 
James   McGlone. 
"William  Nettleton. 
Allen   Inwood. 
Eudolph    Eichner. 
.James   Sullivan. 


Gangouare. 


"^'e    hereby   certify   that    the   whole    number   of    votes    polled 
at  this  election  was  68. 


.JoHX    Hexsley,  / 

John    E.    Bleecker,  ^ 


.Judges  of  Election. 


D.  L.  Gardiner, 
D.  Barbee,  \ 


Clerks  of   Election. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  first  county  ol^eials  elected: 
district  attorney.  Wm.  C.  Ferrell :  connty  jndge.  John  Hays : 
county  clerk,  Richard  Rust ;  county  attorney,  Thos.  "W.  Suth- 
erland ;  county  surveyor,  Henry  Clayton ;  sheriff.  Agostin 
Haraszthy;  recorder,  Henry  C.  Matsell;  assessor.  Jose  Antonio 
Estudillo ;  coroner,  John  Brown  ;  treasurer,  Juan  Bandini.  The 
first  district  .judge  was  Oliver  S.  Witherhy,  who  was  appointed 
by  the  legislature  and  not  voted  for  at  the  election.  For  some 
reason  Bandini  refused  to  qualify  as  treasurer,  and  Philip 
Crosthwaite  was  appointed  in  his  place. 


THE  FIRST  GRAND  JURY  233 

The  first  term  of  the  district  coni't  was  hold  May  6,  1850. 
The  judge  and  the  clerk  were  present,  but  no  business  was 
transacted,  as  it  was  found  that  the  laws  had  not  been  received 
nor  the  officers  properly  qualified.  On  the  2nd  of  the  follow- 
ing Septoml)or  the  court  was  duly  organized,  grand  and  trial 
jurors  sununoned,  and  six  cases  tried.  Two  other  cases  were 
continued. 

The  seal  of  the  District  Court  Avas  designed  by  Wm.  II.  Leigh- 
ton,  the  other  seals  by  Chas.  IT.  Poole. 

The  names  of  the  first  grand  jurymen  were:  Charles  llai-asz- 
thy,  Ramon  Osuua,  James  Wall,  Loreto  Amador,  Manuel 
Roclui.  J.  Emers,  Bonifacio  Lopez,  Ilolden  Alara,  Seth  B. 
Blake.  Louis  Rose.  AVm.  H.  Moon,  Cave  J.  Couts,  Jose  de  Js. 
iNtoreno,  Cristobal  Lopez,  and  Antonio  Aguirre.  This  body 
found  no  indictments,  but  made  one  presentment.  The  prac- 
ticing- attorney's  enrolled  in  this  year  were :  James  W.  Robin- 
son, Thomas  "W.  Sutherland,  John  B.  Magrudei*.  and  Wm.  C. 
Ferrell.  At  the  session  of  the  District  Court  held  in  April.  1856, 
Messrs.  D.  B.  Kurtz  and  E.  W.  Morse  were  examined  and  admit- 
ted to  practice. 

San  Diego  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  the  legislature  of 
1850  and  the  first  election  under  the  charter  took  place  on  June 
IBth  of  that  year.  Joshua  H.  Bean  was  chosen  the  first  mayor, 
while  the  councilmen  were  Charles  Haraszthy,  Atkins  S.  Wright, 
Chas.  P.  Noell.  Chas.  R.  Johnson,  and  William  Leamy;  treas- 
urer, Jose  Ant.  Estudillo;  assessor.  Juan  Bandini :  city  attor- 
ney, Thos.  W.  Sutherland;  marshal,  Agostin  Haraszthy.  The 
council  met  and  organized  on  June  17th.  On  July  20th.  Henry 
Clayton  was  chosen  city  surveyoi-,  and  on  August  12th.  George 
F.  Hooper  was  elected  councilman  in  place  of  Johnson,  resigned. 
On  August  24th.  Noell  resigned,  and  on  Sept.  8th,  Philip  Cros- 
thwaite  was  chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Bandini  refused  to  serve 
and  Richard  Rust  became  assessor  in  July. 

On  June  29th,  an  ordinance  was  passed,  against  the  protest 
of  Noell,  fixing  the  amount  to  be  appropriated  for  salaries  of 
city  officers  at  $6,800  per  annum.  There  were  .$10,610.54  in  the 
treasury.  The  mayor  vetoed  this  "salary  grab."  and  a  new  sal- 
ary ordinance  was  passed,  fixing  the.  total  sum  to  be  appropri- 
ated at  $2,400  per  annum. 

The  mayor  and  council  appear  to  have  been  at  loggerheads  in 
September,  but  the  cause  of  the  trouble  is  not  ai>parent  at  this 
day.  On  October  14th.  the  council  appropriated  $500  for  a  com- 
plimentary ball  to  be  given  to  the  officers  of  the  I'''.  S.  Coast  Sur- 
vey, and  on  October  18th.  they  set  aside  $300  for  a  ball  in  honor 
of  the. admission  of  California  into  the  Union, 

In  1852.  the  city  charter  was  repealed  and  the  government  of 
the  town  vested  in  a  board  of  tru.stees.    The  Tlrvalrl  says  of  this: 


234  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

"From  and  after  .Monday  next  our  hitherto  busy,  bustling-  city 
dwindles  into  a  (juiet  villaiic  A  little  less  than  two  years  ag'o, 
with  some  -t  12,000  or  $18,000  in  the  treasury,  and  when  land 
speculation  was  rife  throughout  the  city,  our  precocity  showed 
itself  in  a  wonderful  manner.  .  .  .  Now,  with  an  empty 
treasury  and  in  debt  deeply,  we  return  to  'first  principles.'  " 

There  were  no  more  charter  changes  until  the  new  town  grew 
up  at  Ilorton's  Addition.  Elections  were  held  from  time  to 
time,  Init  frequently  th(^  trustees  held  over.  The  business  of 
both  town  and  county  was  small  and  several  oi^ees  were  often 
held  by  one  man.  It  is  said  that  in  1852,  Philip  Crosthwaite, 
who  was  th(Mi  county  clerk  and  recorder,  was  deputized  by  all 
the  other  county  officers  to  act  for  them  while  they  went  to 
attend  a  Imll-and-bear  fight,  and  thus  for  a  short  time  held  all 
the  county  offices,  at  once.  Captain  George  A.  Pendleton,  who 
was  county  clerk  and  recorder  for  many  years,  also  held  for  a 
time,  in  addition  to  these  offices,  those  of  auditor,  clerk  of  the 
board  of  supervisors,  and  county  superintendent  of  schools — all 
this  regularly,  not  as  deputy. 

On  ^larch  18,  1851,  a  pul)]ic  meeting'  was  held  at  the  court 
house  to  consider  the  state  of  the  country.  Col.  Ferrell  made 
an  address,  referring:  to  the  failure  to  secure  a  share  of  the  State 
school  funds,  the  neglect  of  p(M*sons  elected  to  (jualify  for  their 
offices,  etc.  It  seems  that  the  shei'iff  had  resigned  and  the  asses- 
sor declined  to  serve ;  the  county  judge  was  absent  and  had  been 
so  for  several  months,  while  the  retiring  .iudge  first  called  an 
extra  session  of  the  court  of  sessions  and  then  declined  to  go  on 
with  it.  A]iril  8,  1851.  Editor  Ames  complains  that  "we  are  now 
without  .iudge,  assessors,  supervisors,  or  any  proper  legally  qual- 
ified officers,  except  trustees  and  attorneys,  and  the  clerk  and 
county  treasurer:  and  to  sum  up,  a  term  of  the  district  court 
soon  to  be  held,  with  prisoners  out  on  bail." 

The  administration  of  justice  in  these  early  days  presents 
many  features  of  interest.  In  the  first  state  laws,  district  and 
county  courts  were  provided  for  and  two  years  later  a  court  of 
sessions  was  created.  Oliver  S.  Witherby,  the  first  judge  of  the 
district  court,  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  San  Diego  for  many 
years.  John  Hays,  the  first  judge  of  the  countv  court,  was  not 
a  lawyer.  He  served  four  years.  The  first  justice  of  the  peace 
in  San  Diego  Avas  Charles  Haraszthy,  a  Hungarian.  The  story 
of  how  Squii-e  Haraszthy  gave  judgment  for  costs  against  the 
defendant,  because  the  plaintiff  was  impecunious,  has  become  a 
classic  in  the  annals  of  San  Diego.  The  best  account  is  that  of 
Captain  Israel,  who  was  an  interested  party: 

Agostin  Haraszthy  was  tlie  first  sheriff.  His  father  \ras 
a  jnstiee  of  the  peace,  and  he  was  the  man  who  tokl  me  we 
must  always  give  the  judgment  to  the  man  wlio  paid  the  costs. 


SOME  PECULIAR  JUSTICE  235 

1  was  city  iiiarsluil,  aiul  a  Mexican  uamcd  Morales  came 
to  me  and  told  me  that  Blount  Couts  owed  him  money  and  he 
wanted  to  sue  him  for  it.  We  agreed  that  I  was  to  have  $15 
for  my  services  if  he  won  the  suit.  I  went  to  Haraszthy  and 
got  out  a  summons  and  sent  it  out  to  the  Soledad,  and  Couts 
came  in  when  the  cause  was  to  be  tried.  He  began  to  cross- 
question  Morales:  He  w^ould  say:  "Didn't  I  pay  you  so  muili 
on  such  a  date?''  And  Morales  would  say,  "Yes,  sir,  so  you 
did."  And  in  a  little  while  I  saw  my  $15  going  glimmering. 
1  said  to  Morales,  "Shut  up,  you  fool,  he'll  have  you  owing 
him  money,  in  a  minute!"  "Well  but,  Seuor,"  says  he,  "  :t 
is  true."  Couts  kept  on  until  he  had  proved  by  the  plaintiff's 
own  evidence  that  he  was  the  one  to  whom  money  was  owing, 
and  not  Morales.  "Veil,"  says  Haraszthy,  "vat  ve  goin'  to 
do  now?"  "Well,"  said  I,  "there  is  nothing  1  can  see  to  do 
except  to  enter  judgment."  "Veil,"  says  Haraszthy  to  Couts, 
"I  shall  gif  shudgmont  against  you  for  tweuty-five  cents." 
(That  was  the  balance  which  Morales  owed  Couts.)  "I'll  be 
damned  if  I'll  pay  it,"  says  Blount  "the  man  has  acknowl- 
edged himself  indebted  to  me!"  and  he  got  up  and  left.  "Veil," 
says  Haraszthy  to  me,  "vat  ve  goin'  to  do,  now?"  "Well 
enter  judgment  against  this  Mexican  for  twenty-five  cents." 
"Veil,  but  dis  man,  he  got  no  moneys.  Ve  must  gif  de  shudg- 
ment  to  de  man  vat  gifs  us  de  pizncss. "  Couts  was  mad,  and 
he  found  out  that  this  Mexican  had  a  fine  horse,  saddle  and 
bridle  in  mj-  corral.  I  thought  Couts  would  be  after  this  horse, 
so  I  told  Morales  his  horse  would  be  seized.  He  wanted  to 
know  what  he  should  do.  I  told  him  perhaps  he  could  find  some- 
body to  buy  them.  "Well,  why  don't  you  buy  them?"  "Well, 
I  don't  want  them,  but  to  keep  them  from  being  seized,  I  will 
take  them  at  $65,  and  pay  3'ou  $50  cash,  if  you  will  allow  me 
the  $15  I  was  to  have  out  of  the  case."  So  he  agreed  and  the 
barkeeper  made  out  a  bill  of  sa^e  and  the  Mexican  made  his 
mark,  and  I  had  just  paid  him  $50  and  put  the  bill  of  sale 
in  my  pocket  when  in  steps  Agostin  Haraszthy  with  an  at- 
tachment. He  asked  me  if  Morales  had  a  horse,  saddle,  and 
bridle  in  my  yard?  I  said  "No."  "Well,  he  did  have." 
"Yes,  but  he  has  none  now;  he  has  just  sold  them,"  and  I 
showed  him  the  bill  of  sale.  He  threw  it  down  and  swore  that 
it  was  "one  of  our  damned  Y'ankee  tricks!"  He  always  hated 
me,  after  that. 

E.  AV.   Moi'sc  is  jiutliority   Uw  the  followiiiL;  story: 

Philip  Crosthwaite  was  county  treasurer  in  1S50,  and  as 
the  law^  then  required  each  county  treasurer  to  appear  in  per- 
son in  Sacramento  and  pay  over  the  money  due  tiie  State  and 
settle  with  the  State  treasurer,  he  proceeded  to  Sacramento  at 
the  required  time,  and  paid  over  the  funds  due  the  State — 
somewhat  less  than  $200.  As  his  traveling  fees  amounted  to 
$.300,  he  returned  with  more  money  than  he  took  up,  having 
made  his  annual,  and,  to  him,  very  satisfactory  settlement. 
But  it  is  said  the  State  treasurer  suggested  to  him  that  under 
similar  conditions  it  would  be  more  satisfactory  to  the  State 
if  he  should  play  the  role  of  the  embezzler  ami  run  away  with 
the   State   funds  before   settlement   day. 


236  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  political  life  of  the  early  days  was  thoroughly  character- 
istic of  pioneer  conditions,  yet  many  able  and  high-minded  men 
were  engaged  in  the  public  service,  though  there  \vere  doubtless 
others  who  were  illiterate  and  incompetent.  Social  customs  have 
improved  since  judges  adjourned  court  in  order  to  take  a  drink 
or  to  witness  a  l)ull-and-bear  fight.  It  was  the  customs  rather 
than  the  courts  that  were  to  blame  for  such  things. 

In  1851  a  strong  agitation  began  in  favor  of  dividing  the  state 
and  organizing  Southern  California  as  a  separate  territory.  Pub- 
lic sentiment  in  San  Diego  supported  the  movement,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  co-operate  with  Los  Angeles,  Santa  Bar- 
bara, and  Monterey  in  bringing  it  to  fruition.  In  1859  the  legis- 
lature submitted  the  question  to  a  referendum  vote  in  the  six 
southern  counties.  It  was  carried  by  a  two-thirds  majority,  but 
the  legality  of  the  vote  was  questioned,  much  opposition  arose, 
and  the  effort  was  al)andoned. 

Under  date  of  Feb.  13,  1849,  James  Buchanan,  Secretary  of 
State,  issued  instructions  for  running  the  international  boundary 
line  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  The  head  of  the 
Commission,  Avho  came  to  San  Diego  in  connection  with  the 
work,  was  Colonel  John  B.  Weller,  of  Ohio,  afterward  governor 
of  California  and  one  of  its  representatives  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  was  accompanied  by  Andrew  B.  Gray,  surveyor, 
Wm.  IT.  Emory,  astronomer,  and  Oliver  S.  Witherby,  quarter- 
master and  commissary.  The  instructions  of  the  Commission 
were  to  "run  and  mark  that  part  of  the  boundary  consisting  of 
a  straight  line  from  a  point  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean 
distant  one  marine  league  due  south  of  the  southernmost  point 
of  the  port  of  San  Diego,  to  the  middle  of  the  Rio  G-ila,  where 
it  unites  M'ith  the  Colorado."  The  initial  point  of. the  boundary 
was  tixed  18  miles  south  of  San  Diego,  on  a  spot  500  feet  from 
the  ocean  and  42  feet  above  its  level.  The  monument  was  erected 
in  June,  1851. 

There  was  some  disappointment  in  California  at  the  failure 
of  the  Ignited  States  to  obtain  the  Peninsula  in  the  settlement 
with  JMexico,  and  genuine  dissatisfaction  with  the  result  on  the 
part  of  some  citizens  of  Lower  California.  As  a  consequence, 
there  was  some  sympathy  Avith  William  "Walker  when  he  made 
his  filibustering  attempt  npou  the  Peninsula  in  1853-4.  When 
the  effort  collapsed,  some  of  Walker's  associates,  among  them  his 
secretary  of  state,  were  arrested  in  San  Diego  and  taken  to  San 
Francisco  for  trial. 

The  ])o]itics  of  San  Diego  city  and  county  was  strongly  Dem- 
ocratic in  the  early  days  of  American  rule.  Many,  probably  a 
majority,  of  the  first  American  settlers  were  from  the  South- 
ern States,  and  the  following  incident  shows  the  social  temper 
of  the  time. 


SOLVING  A  SCHOOL  PROBLEM  237 

Miss  Mary  C.  Walker  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  the  morning 
of  July  5,  1865,  having  been  sent  from  San  P'rancisco  by  the 
state  superintendent  of  schools  to  lill  a  vacaney  as  teacher. 
She  was  a  native  of  New  England  and  entertained  no  i)rejudices 
against  negroes.  On  the  voyage  from  San  Francisco,  she  suf- 
fered from  mal  de  mer  and  was  attended  1).\  the  stewardess,  a 
quadroon.  Some  weeks  later,  while  her  school  was  in  progress, 
she  found  this  negress  in  Manasse's  store,  eating  a  lunch  of 
crackers  and  cheese,  and  feeling  a  friendly  interest  in  the 
M'Oman,  invited  her  to  take  dinner  with  her  at  the  Franklin 
House.  Wlien  the}'  entei-ed  the  dining-room  and  fint  down  at 
the  table  together,  a  numl)er  of  people  who  were  there  at  once 
got  up  and  left,  and  jMiss  Walker  and  her  guest  had  the  table 
and  the  room  to  themselves. 

There  was  a  storm,  at  once.  The  teacher's  dismissal  was  de- 
manded and  most  of  tlu>  children  were  taken  out  of  school.  The 
Yankee  school-ma'am  did  not  understand  things  clearly,  and 
made  the  matter  worse  bj^  some  unguarded  remarks  comparing 
the  complexion  of  certain  of  the  protesting  Californians  with 
that  of  her  guest.  The  school  li-ustees  at  the  time  were  Dr.  D. 
B.  Hoffman.  K.  W.  Morse,  and  TJoliert  D.  Israel.  Hoffman  felt 
that,  whatever  the  merits  of  the  case,  the  school  money  could 
not  be  wasted  keeping  an  empty  schoolroom  open.  Israel  was  an 
old  soldier  and  a  Republican,  and  liis  sentiments  are  best  ex- 
pressed in  his  own  words:  ''  '.Morse.'  said  I,  'I'll  be  damned  if 
I  wouldn't  take  that  school  money  and  throw  it  in  the  bay  as 
far  as  I  could  send  it,  before  I  would  dismiss  the  teacher  to 
please  these  copperheads!  You  may  do  as  you  please,  but  I  will 
never  consent  to  her  dismissal."  ""  It  is  easy  to  believe  that  the 
Captain  would  have  stood  his  ground,  but  it  proved  that  the 
third  trustee,  Morse,  was  a  di])lomatist.  He  was  then  a  wid- 
ower and  had  matrimonial  designs  upon  the  teacher.  She  ten- 
dered her  resignation  and  bec;nne  Mrs.  E.  W.  Morse,  and  thus 
the  countrv  was  saved  once  more. 


CHAPTER  X 

ACCOUNTS   OF   EARLY  VISITORS  AND   SETTLERS 

llE  J*;uu)ma  Steamshii)  Line  was  established  in 
18-ii).  and  San  Diego  became  a  port  of  call. 
By  185(1  it  had  nearly  500  population,  with 
as  many  more  at  La  Playa.  and  with  a  new 
settlement  sprouting  on  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent city.  It  was  a  period  of  fluctuating  hopes 
and  fortunes,  Init  without  important  achieve- 
ment. In  the  two  decades  which  separated 
the  war  with  Mexico  from  the  beginning  of  the  great  Hortou 
enterprise,  the  steamers  l)rought  many  visitors  as  well  as  settlers 
who  became  citizens  of  note.  Several  of  these  men  and  Avomen 
left  interesting  accounts  which  furnish  a  clear  idea  of  the 
ap])earance  of  town  and  country  and  of  the  features  of  local  life. 
Thus,  Philip  Crosthwaite  tells  us  that  in  1845,  there  was  not 
a  house  l)etween  (31d  Town  and  the  Punta  Rancho,  owned  by 
Don  Santiago  E.  Argiiello.  The  San  Diego  Mission  was  partly 
dilapidated,  but  the  main  church  edifice  and  some  of  the  wings 
were  in  good  condition.  The  priest  then  in  charge  of  the  mis- 
sion was  Father  Vicente  Oliva,  and  he  came  to  the  presidio  on 
Sundays  to  celebrate  mass.  Besides  olive  orchards  and  vine- 
yards, the  mission  owned  some  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep.  Near 
the  mission  was  a  large  Indian  village  or  ratuJu )'ia.  The  prin- 
cipal business  was  the  raising  of  cattle  for  their  hides  and 
tallow. 

Major  Wm.   II.   Emory,  who   came  with   General   Kearny  in 
December,  1846,  made  these  observations : 

The  town  consists  of  a  few  adobe  houses,  two  or  three  of 
which  only  have  plank  fioors.  It  is  situated  at  the  foot  of 
a  high  hill  on  a  sand-flat,  two  miles  wide,  reaching  from  the 
head  of  San  Diego  Bay  to  False  Bay.  A  high  promontory,  of 
nearly  the  same  width,  runs  into  the  sea  for  four  or  five  miles, 
and  is  connected  by  the  flat  with  the  main-land.  The  road  to 
the  hide-houses  leads  on  the  eastward  of  this  promontory. 
The  bay  is  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sea  indenting  the  laud  for 
some  four  or  five  miles,  easily  defended,  and  having  twenty 
feet,  making  the  greatest  water  twenty-five  feet.  .  .  . 
feet  of  water   at  the  lowest   tide.     The  rise   is  said   to  be   five 

San  Diego  is,   all   things   considered,  perhaps   one   of  the  best 
harbors    on    the    Coast,    from    Callao    to    Puget    Sound,    with    a 


VISIT  OF  BAYARD  TAYLOR 


239 


single  oxeeptioii.  tliat  of  San  Francisco.  Tn  the  opinion  of 
some  intelligent  navy  officers,  it  is  preferable  even  to  this. 
The  harbor  of  San  Francisco  has  more  water,  but  that  of  San 
Diego  has  a  more  uniform  climate,  better  anchorage,  anrl  ])er- 
feet  security  from   winds   in   any  direction. 

One  of  llu'  most  raiiioiis  visitor.s  of  early  days  was  Bayard 
Taylor,  who  was  here  in  1849,  and  mana<ied  to  impress  his  lit- 
erary genius  upon  his  record.  In  his  book.  El  Dorado,  or,  Ad- 
venfurfs  i))  the  Path  of  Empire  (dedicated,  hy  the  way.  to  [.leu- 
tenant  Edward  F.  Beale),  he  says: 


JOSE   GUADALUPE   ESTUDILLO 

One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  San  Diego  in  early  American  days.    He  held 
numerous  offices  and  was  State  Treasurer  one  term 


Two  mornings  after,  I  saw  the  sun  rise  behind  the  moun- 
tains back  of  San  Diego.  Point  Loriia,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
bay,  came  in  sight  on  the  left,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  we  were 
at  anchor  before  the  hide-houses  at  the  landing  place.  The 
southern  shore  of  the  bay  is  low  and  sandy;  from  the  bluff 
heights  at  the  opposite  side  a  narrow  strip  of  shingly  l)each 
makes  out  into  the  sea,  like  a  natural  breakwater,  leaving  an 
entrance  not  more  than  three  hundred  yards  broad.  The  har- 
bor is  the  finest  on  the  Pacific,  with  the  exception  of  Acapulco. 
and  capable  of  easy  and  complete  defense.  The  old  hide- 
houses  are  built  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  just  inside  the  bay.  and 


240 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


a  fine  road  along  the  shore  leads  to  the  town  of  Ban  Diego, 
which  is  situated  on  a  plain,  three  miles  distant  and  hardly 
visible  from  the  anchorage.  Above  the  houses,  on  a  little 
eminence,  several  tents  were  planted,  and  a  short  distance  fur- 
ther were  several  recent  graves,  surrounded  by  paling.  A  num- 
ber of  people  were  clustered  on  the  beach,  and  boats  laden  with 
passengers  and  freight,  instantly  put  off  to  us.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments after  our  gun  was  fired,  we  could  see  horsemen  coming 
down  from  San  Diego  at  full  gallop,  one  of  whom  carried  be- 
hind him  a  lady  in  graceful  riding  costume.      In  the  first  boat  were 


JOSE   ANTONIO   ALTAMIRANO 

One  of  the  prominent  early  residents  of  Old  San  Diego.     Diiriner  the  Mexican  War 

he  served  on  the  American  side 


Colonel  Wellei,  U.  S.  Boundary  Commissioner,  and  Major  Hill 
of  the  Army.  Then  followed  a  number  of  men,  lank  and  brown 
as  is  the  ribbed  sea-sand — men  with  long  hair  and  beards, 
and  faces  from  which  the  rigid  expression  of  suffering  was 
scarcely  relaxed.  They  were  the  first  of  the  overland  emi- 
grants by  the  Gila  route,  who  had  reached  San  Diego  a  few  days 
before.  Their  clothes  were  in  tatters,  their  boots,  in  many 
cases,  replaced  by  moccasins,  and  except  their  rifles  and  some 
small  packages  rolled  in  deerskin,  they  had  nothing  left  of  the 
abundant   stores   with   which   they   left   home. 

We   hove   anchor  in   half   an   hour,   and   again  rounded   Point 
Loma,    our    number    increased    by    more    than    fifty    passengers. 


PRESIDIO  IN  1850  241 

The  I'uiiit,  which  comes  down  to  the  sea  at  au  aiiyle  of  60 
degrees,  has  been  lately  purchased  by  an  American,  for  what 
I>uri)Ose  I  cannot  imagine,  unless  it  is  with  the  hope  of  specu- 
lating on  the  Government  when  it  shall  be  wanted  for  a  light- 
house.    ... 

The  emigrants  we  took  on  board  at  San  Diego  were  objects 
of  general  interest.  The  stories  of  their  adventures  by  the  way 
sounded  more  marvellous  than  anything  ]  had  heard  or  read 
since  n\y  boyish  acrjuaintance  with  Robinson  Crusoe,  Captain 
Cook,  and  John  Lcdyard.  Taking  them  as  the  average  exjie- 
rience  of  the  thirty  thousand  emigrants  who  last  year  crossed 
the  plains,  this  California  crusade  will  more  than  equal  tlie 
great  military  expeditions  of  the  Middle  Ages  in  magnitude, 
])eril,  and  adventure.  The  amount  of  suffering  which  must  have 
been  endured  in  the  savage  mountain  passes  and  herbless 
deserts  of  the  interior,  cannot  be  told  in  words.  Some  had  come 
by  way  of  Santa  Fe  and  along  the  savage  hills  of  the  Gila; 
some,  starting  from  the  Red  River,  had  crossed  the  Great  Stake 
Desert  and  taken  the  road  from  Paso  Del  Norte  to  Tucson  in 
Sonora;  some  had  passed  through  Mexico  and  after  spending 
one  hundred  and  four  days  at  sea,  run  into  San  Diego  and  given 
up  their  vessels;  some  had  landed,  weary  with  a  seven  months' 
voyage  around  Cape  Horn;  and  some,  finally,  had  reached  the 
place  on  foot,  after  walking  the  whole  length  of  the  Califor- 
nian    I'eninsula. 

The  reniiiiiscences  of  E.  W.  I\roi'se  are  among  the  richest  we 
have  niul  iwo  necessarily  (lr;nvn  up^ii  in  mnny  eonnections. 
He  says : 

When  T  first  saw  the  presidio  (in  I80O),  the  adobe  walls  of 
the  church  and  portions  of  other  buildings  were  still  standing. 
The  roofing  tiles  and  most  of  the  adobes  and  other  building 
materials  had  been  utilized  in  building  up  the  new  town,  on  the 
fiat.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  even  the  churcn  walls 
were  carried   away,  probably  by  some  undevout  "gringo." 

There  was  then  no  doctor  at  Old  Town,  either  American  or 
Spanish.  The  army  surgeon  at  the  Mission  Barracks  did  some  gen- 
eral practice,  and  he  was  the  only  physician  in  the  country. 
There  was  literally  no  agriculture,  and  most  of  the  live  stock 
business  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Spanish.  Abel  Stearns,  in 
Los  Angeles  county,  and  Don  Juan  Forster,  had  large  ranches. 
The  biggest  fenced  field  in  the  country  was  in  the  San  Lui3 
Rey  Valley;  it  contained  about  ten  acres  and  belonged  to 
some  Indians.  The  only  bridge  in  the  county  was  out  near 
Santa  Ysabel,  and  it  was  built  by  the  Indians.  Some  years 
later  we  had  an  assessor  who  was  a  cattleraiser,  and  in  his  re- 
port to  the  State  Comptroller  he  said  that  no  part  of  the  conn- 
try  was  fit  for  agriculture.  Tliat  was  what  people  honestly 
thought,   at    the   time. 

The  river  then  ran  in  close  to  the  high  ground  at  Old  Town, 
making  a  bluff  of  ten  or  fifteen  feet  near  the  McCoy  house, 
where  it  undermined  and  caved  down  an  old  adobe  house. 
There  were  a  good  many  people  who  came  here  by  the  overland 
route,  on  their  way  to  the  mines. 


242 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


J.  M.  Julian,  in  later  daj's  editor  of  the  Sau  Diegan,  was  in 
San  Diego  Bay  on  ]\lay  4.  1850,  on  Iward  the  steamer  Pan- 
ama, en  route  to  the  Isthnnis.  The  steanuM-  stopped  to  bury  a 
passenger  who  had  died  ( ii  rnuf(  and  to  examine  the  bay  in  the 
interest  of  the  steamship  eompany.  Julian  records  that  the 
site  of  the  present  city  was  "as  green  and  pretty  as  any  i)lace 
we  had  ever  seen,  and  covered  with  a  growth  of  small  trees." 
He  carried  away  the  impression  that  Old  Town  was  a  flourish- 
ing place. 

Mre.  Carson  can  only  recall  one  American  woman  who  was 
living  at  Old  San  Diego  when  she  came,  1864:.  That  was  Mrs. 
Robinson,  the  wife  of  J.  W.  Robinson.  There  were  several 
American  men,  l)ut  most  of  them  were  married  to  Californian 
women. 


GEORGE   A.    PENDLETON'S   HOUSE 
W?iere  Lieutenant  Derby  (John  Phoenix)  lived 


The   old  road   to   the 
and  went  up  on  the  nor 
now    runs.      It    crossed 
went  out   by  way  of  w 
River  emptied   into   the 
There  were  some  houses 
man   had   a   liouse   and   j 
would  be  waslied   away, 
ing,  when  he  got  up  liis 


mission   crossed   the   river   at    Old   Town 
th  side,  instead  of  the  south  side,  as  it 
the    river    again    near    the    mission    and 
hat   is   now   Grantville.      The    San   Diego 
harbor  then,  and  for  some  years   after, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  one 
;arden   in    its  bed.      People   told   him   he 
but   he   did   not  believe  it.     One   morn- 
house  was  floating  down  to  the  bay. 


Lieutenant  Derby,  famous  as  "John  Phoenix,"  made  the  fol- 
lowing delightful  record  of  his  first  impressions  of  the  place: 

■The  Bay  of  San  Diego  is  shaped  like  a  boot,  the  leg  forming 
the  entrance  from  the  sea,  and  the  toe  extending  some  twelve 
miles  inland  at  right  angles  to  it,  as  a  matter  of  course,  points 


DERBY'S  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  243 

southwanl   to   tlic    latter   cihI    (it    Mexico,   from    wliicli    it   is   dis- 
tant   at    jiresent    precisely    tlircc    miles. 

The  three  villages  then,  which  go  to  make  up  the  great  city 
of  San  Diego,  are  the  Playa,  Old  Town,  and  New  Town,  or 
"Davis's  Folly."  At  the  Playa  there  are  but  few  buildings  at 
present,  aud  these  are  not  remarkable  for  size  or  architectural 
beauty  of  design.  A  long,  low%  one-storied  tenement,  near  the 
base  of  the  hilis,  once  occupied  by  rollicking  Captain  Magruder 
and  the  ofiieers  under  his  command,  is  now  the  place  where 
Judge  Witherby,  like  Matthew,  patiently  "sits  at  the  receipt 
of  customs."  But  few  cusioDicrs  appear,  for  with  the  exception 
of  the  mail  steamer  once  a  fortnight,  and  the  Goliah  and  Ohio, 
two  little  coasting  steamers  that  wheeze  in  and  out  once  or 
twice  a  month,  the  calm  waters  of  San  Diego  Bay  remain  un- 
ruffled by  keel  or  cut-water  from  one  year's  end  to  anotlier. 
Such  a  thing  as  a  foreign  bottom  has  never  made  its  api)ear- 
ance  to  gladden  the  Collector's  heart;  in  this  respect,  the  har- 
bor has  indeed  proved  bottomless.  Two  crazy  old  hulks  riding 
at  anchor,  and  the  barque  Clarissa  Andrews  (filled  with  coal  for 
the  P.  M.  S.  S.  Co.)  wherein  dwells  Captain  Bogart,  like  a 
second  Eobinson  Crusoe,  with  a  man  Friday  who  is  mate,  cook, 
stewanl  and  all  hands,  make  up  the  amount  of  shipping  at 
the  Playa. 

Then  there  is  the  Ocean  House  (that's  Donohoe's),  and  a 
store  marked  Gardiner  and  Bleecker,  than  the  inside  of  which 
nothing  could  be  bleaker,  for  there's  "nothing  in  it,"  and  an 
odd-looking  little  building  on  stilts  out  in  the  water,  where 
a  savant  named  Sabot,  in  the  employ  of  the  U.  S.  Engineers, 
makes  mysterious  observations  on  the  tide;  and  these,  with 
three  other  small  buildings,  unoccu])ied,  a  fence  and  a  grave- 
yard, constitute  all  the  "  imjirovements' '  that  have  been  made 
at  the  Playa.  The  ruins  of  two  old  hide-houses,  immortalized 
by  Dana  in  his  Tivo  Years  Before  the  Mast,  are  still  stand- 
ing, one  bearing  the  w-eather-beaten  name  of  Tasso.  We  ex- 
amined these  and  got  well  bitten  by  fleas  for  our  trouble.  We 
also  examined  the  other  great  curiosity  of  the  Playa,  a  nat- 
ural one — being  a  cleft  in  the  adjacent  hills  some  hundred 
feet  in  depth,  witii  a  smooth,  hard  floor  of  white  sand  and  its 
walls  of  indurated  clay,  perforated  with  cavities  wherein  dwell 
countless  numbers  of  great  white  owls.  .  .  .  Through 
this  cleft  we  marched  into  the  bowels  of  the  land  wMthout  im- 
pediment for  nearly  half  a  mile. 

From  present  appearances  one  would  be  little  disposed  to 
imagine  that  the  Playa  in  five  or  six  years  might  become  a 
city  of  the  size  of  Louisville,  with  l)rick  buildings,  paved 
streets,  gas  lights,  theaters,  gambling  houses,  and  so  forth.  It 
is  not  at  all  improbable,  however,  should  the  great  Pacific  Rail- 
road terminate  at  San  Diego  .  .  .  the  Playn  must  be  tlie 
depot,  and  as  sucli  will  become  a  jiuint  of  great  importance. 
The  land-holders  about  here  are  well  aware  of  this  fact,  and 
consequently  aflix  already  incredible  prices  to  very  unpre- 
possessing ]iieces  of  land.  Lots  of  loO  feet  front,  not  situated 
in  particularly  eligible  places  either,  have  been  sold  within  the 
last  few  weeks  for  $50(1  apiece.  .  .  .  While  at  the  Playa 
I  had  the  pleasure  of  forming  an  acquaintance  with  the  pilot. 
Captain  Wm.  G.  Oliver,  as  noble  a  specimen  of  a  sailor  as  you 
would   wish   to   see.     He   was   a    lieutenant   in    tlie   Texas   Navy, 


244  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

under  the  celebrated  Muore,  and  tuid  me  many  yarns  concerning 
that  gallant  commander.  .  .  .  Leaving  the  Playa  in  a 
wagon  drawn  by  two  wild  mules,  driven  at  the  top"  of  their 
speed  by  the  intrepid  Donohoe,  Mac  and  I  were  whirled  over 
a  hard  road,  smooth  and  even  as  a  ballroom  floor,  on  our  way  to 
Old  Town.  Five  miles  from  La  Playa  we  passed  the  estate  of 
the  Hon.  John  Hays,  County  Judge  of  San  Diego,  an  old  Texan 
and  a  most  amiable  gentleman.  The  Judge  has  a  fine  farm  of 
80  or  100  acres  under  high  cultivation,  and  ...  a  private 
fish  pond.  He  has  enclosed  some  twenty  acres  of  the  flats 
near  his  residence,  having  a  small  outlet  with  a  net  attached, 
from  which  he  daily  makes  a  haul  almost  ecpialling  the  mirac- 
ulous  draught    on    Lake   Gennesaret. 

The  old  town  of  San  Diego  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  little  river  that  bears  its  name.  It  contains 
perhaps  a  hundred  houses,  some  of  wood,  but  mostly  of  the 
adoban  or  Gresan  order  of  architecture.  A  small  Plaza  forms 
the  center  of  the  town,  one  side  of  which  is  occupied  by  a  lit- 
tle adobe  building  used  as  a  court  room,  the  Colorado  House, 
a  wooden  structure  whereof  the  second  story  is  occupied  by  the 
San  Diego  Herald.  .  .  .  and  the  Exchange,  a  hostelry  at 
which  we  sto^jped.  This  establishment  is  kept  by  Hoof  (fa- 
miliarly known  as  Johnny,  but  whom  I  at  once  christened 
"Cloven")  and  Tibbetts,  who  is  also  called  Two-bitts,  in  hon- 
orable distinction  from  an  unworthy  partner  he  once  had,  who 
obtained  unenviable  notoriety  as  "Picayune  Smith."  On  enter- 
ing, we  found  ourselves  in  a  large  bar  and  billiard  room,  fitted 
up  with  the  customary  jnctures  and  mirrors.  .  .  .  Here 
also  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Squire  Moon,  a  jovial  middle- 
aged  gentleman  from  the  State  of  Georgia,  who  replied  to  my 
inquiries  concerning  his  health  that  he  was  "as  fine  as  silk  but 
not  half  so  well  beliked  by  the  ladies."  After  partaking  of 
supper,  which  meal  was  served  up  in  the  rear  of  the  billiard 
room,  al.  fresco,  from  a  clothless  table  upon  an  earthen  floor, 
I  fell  in  conversation  with  Judge  Ames,  the  talented,  good- 
hearted  but  eccentric  editor  of  the  San  Diego  Berald,  of  whom 
the  poet  Andrews,  in  his  immortal  work.  The  Cocopa  Maid, 
once  profanely  sang  as  follows: 

"There  was  a  man  whose  name  was  Ames, 
His  aims  were  aims  of  mystery; 
His   story   odd,   I   think,   by   God. 
Would  make   a  famous  history. ' " 

I  found  the  Judge  exceedingly  agreeable,  urbane  and  well 
informed,  and  obtained  from  him  much  valuable  information 
regarding  San  Diego  and  its  statistics.  San  Diego  contains  at 
present  about  700  inhabitants,  two-thirds  of  whom  are  "native 
and  to  the  manor  born,"  the  remainder  a  mixture  of  Ameri- 
can, Englisli,  German,  Hebrew  and  Pike  County.  There  are 
seven  stores  or  shops  in  the  village,  where  anything  may  be 
obtained,  from  a  fine-toothed  comb  to  a  horse-rake,  two  public 
houses,  a  Catholic  Church  which  meets  in  a  private  residence, 
and  a  Protestant  ditto,  to  which  the  Rev.  Reynolds,  Chaplain 
of  the  military  post  six  miles  distant,  communicates  religious 
intelligence    every   Sunday   afternoon. 

San  Di'^go  is  the  residence  of  Don  Juan  Bandini,  whose  man- 
sion fronts  on  one  side  of  the  plaza.     He  is  well-known   to   the 


DANA'S  LAST  VISIT 


245 


early  settlers  of  California  as  a  gentleman  of  distingnislied 
politeness  and  hospitality.  His  wife  and  daugliters  are  among 
the  most  beautiful  and  accomplished  ladies  in  our  State. 

In  1859,  Richard  Henry  Dana  i-cvisited  tlic  place  he  had 
known  and  written  about  so  charmingly,  twenty-three  years 
before.  He  was  deeply'  touched  by  renewing  his  associations 
Avith  old  scenes. 

As  we  made  the  high  point  off  San  Diego,  "Point  Lonia," 
he  writes,  we  were  greotod  l)y  tlic  cheering  jjrcscnce  of  a  iiglit- 
house.  As  we  swept  around  it  in  the  early  morning,  there,  be- 
fore us  lay  the  little  harbor  of  S;ni   Diego,  its  low  spit  of  sand, 


PRESENT   APPEARANCE   OF   HOUSE   IN   OLD   SAN   DIEGO 
Where  Richard  Henry  Dana  took  dinner  with  R.  E.  Doyle,  in  1859 


where  the  waters  run  so  deep;  the  opposite  flats  where  tlie 
Alert  grounded  in  starting  for  home;  the  low  hills  without 
trees,  and  almost  without  brush;  the  cpiiet  little  beach;  but  the 
chief  objects,  the  hide-houses,  my  eye  looked  for  in  vain.  They 
were  gone,  all,  and  left  no  mark  behind. 

I  wished  to  be  alone,  so  T  let  the  other  passengers  go  up  to 
the  town,  and  was  quietly  pulled  asliore  in  a  boat,  and  left  to 
myself.  The  recollections  and  emotions  all  were  sad,  and 
only  sad. 

"Fugit,  inter ia  fugit  irreparable  tempiis." 

The  ))ast  was  real.  The  ])resent.  all  about  me,  was  unreal, 
unnatural,  repellant.  I  saw  the  big  ships  lying  in  the  stream, 
the  Alert,  the  California,  the  Bom  with  her  Italians;  then  the 
handsome  Ayacvcho,  my  favorite;  the  poor  dear  old  Pilgrim,  the 
home  of  hardship  ancl  helplessness;  the  boats  passing  to  and 
fro;  the  cries  of  the  sailors  at  the  capstan  or  falls;  the  peo- 
pled beach;  the  large  hide-houses  with  their  gangs  of  men;  and 
the  Kanakas  interspersed  everywhere.  All,  all  were  gone!  not 
a   vestige  left   to   mark   where  our  hide-house  stood.     The  oven, 


246 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


too,  was  goue.  I  searched  for  its  site,  aud  found,  where  I 
thought  it  should  be,  a  few  broken  bricks  and  bits  of  mortar. 
I  alone  was  left  of  all,  and  how  strangely  was  I  here!  What 
changes  to  me!  Where  were  they  all?  Why  should  I  care  for 
them — poor  Kanakas  and  sailors,  the  refuse  of  civilization,  the 
out-laws  and  beach-combers  of  the  Pacific!  Time  and  death 
seemed  to  transfigure  them.  Doubtless  nearly  all  were  dead; 
but  how  had  they  died,  and  where?  In  hospitals,  in  fever- 
climes,  in  dens  of  vice,  or  falling  from  the  mast,  or  dropping 
exhausted  from  the  wreck — 


ALFRED    C.    ROBINSON 

Author  of  a  notable  book  on  early  California  life,  who  married    into   a 
prominent  Spanish  family 


"When   for   a    moment,  like   a   drop  of   rain 
He    sinks   into    thy    depths   with    bubbling   groan. 
Without    a    grave,    unknelled,    uncoffined,    and    unknown." 
The  light-hearted  boys  are  now  middle-aged  men,  if  the  seas, 
roi-ks,   fevers,    and    the   deadlier    enemies    that    beset    a    sailor's 
life  on  shore  had  spared   them;   and  the  then  strong  men  have 
bowed  themselves,  and  the  earth  or  sea  has  covered  them. 

Even  the  animals  are  gone — the  colony  of  dogs,  the  broods 
of  poultry,  the  useful  horses;  but  the  coyotes  still  bark  in  the 
woods,  for  they  belong  not  to  man  and  are  not  touched  by  his 
changes. 


OLD  MEMORIES 


247 


I  walked  slowly  up  the  hill,  finding  my  way  among  tlip  few 
bushes,  for  the  path  was  long  grown  over,  and  sat  down  where 
we  used  to  rest  in  carrying  our  burdens  of  wood  and  to  look 
out  for  vessels  that  might,  though  so  seldom,  be  coming  down 
from  tlie  windward. 

To  rally  myself  by  calling  to  mind  my  own  better  fortune 
and  nobler  lot,  and  cherished  surroundings  at  home,  was  im- 
possible. Borne  down  by  depression,  the  day  being  yet  noon 
and  the  sun  over  the  old  point — it  is  four  miles  to  the  town,  the 
presidio;  I  have  walked  it  often  ami  can  do  it  once  more — I  passed 
the  familiar  objects,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  I  remembered 
them   better   than    those    of    any   other   place   1    had   ever   been 


RICHARD  J.    CLEVELAND 
Involved  in  the  exciting  adventure  of  the  LELIA  BYRD  in  1803  (see  pagre  89) 


in — the  opening  of  the  little  cave;  the  low  lulls  where  we  cut 
wood  and  killed  rattlesnakes,  and  where  our  dogs  chased  the 
coyotes;  and  the  black  ground  where  so  many  of  the  ship's 
crew  and  beach-combers  used  to  bring  up  on  their  return  at  the 
end  of  a  liberty   day  and  spend  the  night   sub  Jove. 

The  little  town  of  San  Diego  has  undergone  no  change  what- 
ever that  I  can  see.  It  certainly  has  not  grown.  It  is  still,  like 
Santa  Barbara,  a  Mexican  town.  The  four  principal  houses 
of  the  genie  de  razon — of  the  Bandinis,  Kstudillos,  Argiiellos 
and   Picos-^are   the   chief   houses   now,   but   all    the   gentlemen — 


248  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

and  their  families,  too,  I  believe,  are  gone.  .  .  .  Fitch 
is  long  since  dead;  and  I  can  scarce  find  a  person  whom  I  re- 
member. I  went  into  a  familiar  one-story  adobe  house,  with  its 
piazza  and  earthen  floor,  inhabited  by  a  respectable  fam- 
ily .  .  .  l)y  the  name  of  Machado,  and  inquired  if  any 
of  the  family  remained,  when  a  bright-eyed,  middle-aged  wom- 
an recognized  2iie,  for  she  had  heard  I  was  on  board  the  steam- 
er, and  told  me  she  had  married  a  shipmate  of  mine,  Jack  Stew- 
art, who  went  out  as  second  mate  the  next  voyage,  but  left  the 
ship  and  married  and  settled  here.  She  said  he  wished  very 
much  to  see  me.  In  a  few  minutes  he  came  in,  and  his  sincere 
pleasure  in  meeting  me  was  extremely  grateful.  We  talked  over 
old  times  as  long  as  I  could  afford  to.  I  was  glad  to  hear  that 
he  was  sober  and  doing  well.  Dona  Tomaso  Pico  I  found  and 
talked  with.  She  was  the  only  person  of  the  old  upper-class 
that  remained  on  the  spot,  if  I  rightly  recollect.  I  found  an 
American  family  here — Doyle  and  his  wife,  nice  young  peo- 
ple, Doyle  agent  for  the  great  line  of  coaches  to  run  to  the 
frontier  of  the  old  States. 

I  must  complete  my  acts  of  pious  remembrance,  so  I  took  a 
horse  and  made  a  riin  out  to  the  old  mission,  where  Ben  Stim- 
son  and  I  went  the  first  liberty  day  we  had  after  we  left  Bos- 
ton. The  buildings  are  unused  and  ruinous,  and  the  large  gar- 
dens show  now  only  wild  cactus,  willows  and  a  few  olive  trees. 
A  fast  run  brings  me  back  in  time  to  take  leave  of  the  few  I 
know  and  who  knew  me,  and  to  reach  the  steamer  before  she 
sails.  A  last  look — yea,  last  for  life — to  the  beach,  the  hills, 
the  low  point,  the  distant  town,  as  we  round  Point  Loma  and 
the  first  beams  of  the  light-house  strike  out  towards  the  setting 
sun. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  in  March,  1880,  Richard  Henry 
Dana,  Jr.,  son  of  the  author  of  Two  Years  Before  the  Mast, 
visited  San  Diego. 

The  impressions  of  Mrs.  Morse,  in  1865,  are  also  interesting : 

Oh,  the  strange  foreign  look  as  I  stepped  from  my  state- 
room and  stood  upon  the  deck  as  the  steamer  came  to  an- 
chor! .  .  .  The  hills  were  brown  and  barren;  not  a  tree 
or  a  green  thing  was  to  be  seen.  The  only  objects  to  greet  the 
sight  were  the  government  barracks  and  two  or  three  houses. 
I  said  to  the  Captain  in  dismay,  "Is  this  San  Diego?"  He  re- 
plied, "No,  the  town  is  four  miles  away."  I  saw  a  merry 
twinkle  in  his  eye,  which  I  afterwards  interpreted  as  mean- 
ing, "Won't  the  Yankee  schoolma'am  be  surprised  when  she 
sees  the   town. ' ' 

Wild  looking  horsemen,  flourishing  their  riatas,  were  coming 
from  different  directions  toward  the  landing,  and  the  very 
gait  of  the  horses  seemed  different  from  anything  I  had  ever 
seen  before.  There  were  no  wharves  at  the  time.  Passengers 
were  carried  in  the  ship's  boats  to  shallow  water  and  then  car- 
ried on  the  backs  of  sailors  to  the  shore.  Fortunately  for  me, 
a  little  skiff  was  over  from  the  lighthouse,  which  saved  me 
the  humiliating  experience  meted  out  to   others. 

Once  on  shore,  I  was  placed  with  my  trunk  on  a  wagon  await- 
ing  me,   and    we   started    for   Old    Town.      The   prospect   as   we 


MRS.  MORSE'S  IMPRESSIONS  249 

neared  the  town  was  not  eueouraging,  but  the  climax  was 
reached  when  we  arrived  safely  at  the  plaza.  Of  all  the  dilap- 
idated, miserable  looking  places  I  had  ever  seen,  this  was  the 
worst.  The  buildings  were  nearly  all  adobe,  one  story  in 
height,  with  no  chimneys.  Some  of  the  roofs  were  covered 
with  tiles  and  some  with  earth.  One  of  these  adobes,  an  old 
ruin,  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  plaza.  It  has  since  been  re- 
moved. The  Old  Town  of  today  is  ((uitc  a  modern  town,  com- 
pared with  the  Old  Town  of  1865. 

I  was  driven  to  the  hotel,  which  was  to  be  my  future  boanl- 
ing  place.  It  was  a  frame  structure  of  two  stories,  since  burned. 
The  first  night  of  my  stay  at  the  hotel  a  donkey  came  under 
my  window  and  saluted  me  with  an  unearthly  bray.  I  wondered 
if  some  wild  animal  had  escaped  from  a  menagerie  and  was 
prowling  around  Old  Town.  The  fleas  were  plentiful  and  hun- 
gry. Mosquitos  were  also  in  attendance.  The  cooking  at  the 
hotel  was  quite  unlike  the  cooking  at  the  Hotel  del  Coronado 
at  the  present  time.  I  sat  at  the  table  alnne,  being  the  only 
woman  in  the  house.  An  Indian  boy  waited  on  me  at  the  table 
and  also  gave  me  the  news  of  the  town 


CHAPTER  XI 


ANNALS   OF  THE   CLOSE   OF  OLD   SAN  DIEGO 

X  1850.  the  first  steamship  line  between  San 
Francisco  and  San  Dieg'o  was  established, 
touchino'  at  San  Pedro,  Santa  Barbara,  San 
Luis  01)ispo,  and  ]\Ionterey.  The  first  line 
was  owned  by  a  San  Franciscan  named 
Wright.  In  1856,  he  transferred  it  to  the 
California  Steam  Navigation  Company,  and 
they  soon  sold  to  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship 
Company.  The  first  steamers  were  the  Ohio,  Goliah.  and  Fre- 
mont, while  the  SoutJierncr,  Senator,  and  Thomas  Hunt  also 
ran  at  times.  In  later  years  the  Ancon  and  Orizaba  were  the 
regular  coastwise  steamers.  They  were  all  side-wheelers  of  small 
tonnage.  As  they  approached  the  wharf  at  San  Diego,  it  was 
the  custom  to  fire  a  cannon-shot  from  the  bow,  to  give  notice 
of  their  arrival. 

The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company's  steamers  from  Pan- 
ama also  called  twice  a  month.  Among  those  calling  in  1851 
were  the  Northerner,  Tennessee,  Antelope,  and  others.  The  fare 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  was,  first  class,  $330;  second 
class,  $290 ;  and  steerage,  $165. 

The  ecmstwise  trade  opened  briskly  nnder  American  rule.  In 
the  first  number  of  the  Herald,  :\Iay  29,  1851,  the  marine  list 
for  ten  days  shows  eleven  vessels  of  all  classes  arrived  and  ten 
cleared,  and  the  following  week  four  arrived  and  three  cleared. 
In  December,  traffic  was  so  brisk  that  the  steamer  Sea  Bird  was 
chartered  from  the  Pacific  j\Iail  Company,  and  put  on  the  route 
between  San  Diego  and  San  Francisco  by  Captain  Haley. 

In  1857  two  packets  ran  regularly  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
The  fare  for  passengers  Avas  $80,  and  the  trip  was  made  in  about 
twelve  days. 

The  first  boat  of  American  build  regularly  used  on  San  Diego 
Bay  is  believed  to  have  been  the  one  brought  here  in  1850  by 
Lieutenant  Cave  J.  Couts.  It  was  built  for  the  use  of  the 
boundary  survey  expedition  under  Lieutenant  A.  W.  Whipple, 
and  first  launched  in  Lake  ^Michigan.  This  boat  was  16  feet 
long  and  5  feet  6  inches  wide.  It  was  e((uipped  with  wheels  on 
which  it  traveled  overland,  and  was  used  for  crossing  rivers  on 
the  way.     At  Camp  Calhoun,  on  the  California  side  of  the  Col- 


FIRST  VESSEL  BUILT  HERE 


251 


orado  River,  late  in  the  year  of  1849,  Conts  purchased  this  boat 
and  used  it  for  a  ferry.  On  his  return  to  San  Uieuo,  he  bi-ought 
it  with  him  and  used  it  to  navigate  the  waters  of  San  Die^o  Bay. 

On  August  13,  1857,  occurred  one  of  those  historically  import- 
ant "first  events."  The  schooner  Loma,  the  first  vessel  ever 
built  on  the  San  Diego  Bay,  was  launched.  She  was  built  at 
the  shipyard  of  Captain  James  Keating,  and  was  christened,  as 
the  Herald  informs  us,  "in  due  and  ancient  form." 

As  traffic  increased,  and  as  there  were  neither  lighthouse  nor 
buoys,  it  was  inevitable  that  wrecks  should  occur,  although  a 


MRS.    CARSON,    (FORMERLY   MRS.    GEORGE   A,    PENDLETON) 


Storm  seldom  ruffled  the  surface  of  the  bay.  The  first  wreck 
at  San  Diego  was  that  of  the  pilot  boat  Fanny,  on  the  night  of 
December  24,  1851.  She  had  been  out  cruising  for  the  North- 
erner, was  anchored  just  outside  Ballast  Point,  and,  a  gale  ris- 
ing, w^as  driven  ashore  and  lost. 

The  only  other  wreck  during  this  period  of  which  there  is  any 
record  was  that  of  the  Golden  Gate,  Captain  Isham,  in  January, 
1854.    This  steamer  came  up  from  Panama  with  a  large  numl)er 


252 


HISTORY   OF   SAN  DIEGO 


of  passengers.  She  broke  a  shaft,  below  San  Diego,  and  came  in 
with  only  one  wheel  working,  arriving  on  Wednesday  the  18th. 
Her  provisions  were  nearly  exhausted  and  the  passengers  very 
hungry.  After  securing  supplies,  she  put  to  sea  again  on  the 
evening  of  the  same  day,  in  a  storm.  Her  engine  gave  out,  and, 
in  s])ite  of  attempts  to  anchor,  she  was  driven  ashore  on  Zuiiinga 
shoal.  The  GoJiah  was  in  the  harbor  and  went  to  her  assistance, 
but  could  do  nothing.  The  next  morning  the  passengers,  after 
a  night  of  terror,  were  taken  off  in  safety  with  the  exception  of 
one  man,  I.  ]M.  Gibson,  who  was  killed  by  falling  down  the  steam- 
er's hold  in  the  night.  The  passengers  were  distril)uted  among 
the  houses  of  the  town,  and  considerable  difficulty  was  experi- 


HOUSE   OF   JOHN   C.    STEWART,    OLD   TOWN 


enced  in  providing  accommodations  for  them  all.  One  of  their 
number  was  the  Very  Reverend  Wm.  I.  Kip,  then  on  his  way 
to  take  charge  of  the  new  Episcopal  bishoi)ric  of  California. 
The  use  of  the  court-house  was  secured  for  him  and  he  preached 
one  sermon  while  here.  The  Southerner  arrived  the  next  day, 
and  with  the  Goliah  carried  the  passengers  awaj^  soon  after. 

The  steamer  Columbia  arrived  on  the  20th  and,  the  storm 
a1)ating,  succeeded  after  hard  work  in  pulling  the  Golden  Gate 
safely  off  the  sand-bar,  just  a  week  from  the  day  of  her  arrival. 
She  had  three  feet  of  water  in  her  hold,  but  was  not  badly  dam- 
aged, and  soon  left  for  San  Francisco  and  arrived  there  safely. 

In  the  days  of  Mexican  rule,  the  mails  were  carried  twice  a 
week  between  San  Diego  and  San  Francisco,  on  horseback,  by 
way  of  the  old  "Camino  Real,"  from  mission  to  mission.  The 
service  was  fairly  well  performed,  in  a  leisurely  way :  or,  if  it 
was  not,  little  complaint  was  made.     In   ^Ijirch,  1847,  General 


POOR  MAIL  SERVICE 


253 


Kearny  establisluHl,  I'or  inililai'v  purposes,  a  semi-vvL'cklv  liovse- 
iiiail  between  the  same  points.  The  itlcnldc.s  aeted  as  i)ustmas- 
ters,  and  as  tlicic  weic  no  othci-  postal  facilities,  it  was  ordered 
that  the  citizens  "be  acconiniodated  by  having  Iht-ir  letters  and 
papers  sent  free  of  expense." 

The  beginninjis  of  re.iiubn-  mail  service  were  sl(»\\  and  unsat- 
isfactory. The  semi-monthly  Panama  steamer  carried  the  mails 
from  1849.  The  local  service  was  snch  as  to  cause  the  Herald 
to  complain  bittei-ly.  On  September  11,  ISol,  it  decbTred  that 
"durinu'  a  period  of  moi-e  than  two  years  there  has  been  no  rt't,'- 
ularly  appointed  postmaster  at  San  Diego,  nor  to  those  who  have 
acted  has  thovo  1)een  more  than  a  pittance  allowed  for  the  pei-- 


HOUSE  AND   STORE   OF  THOMAS   WHALEY,    OLD   TOWN 


formance  of  their  duty.  Sometimes  the  mails  go,  and  when  this 
happens,  they  are  taken  to  the  landing  by  some  transient  con- 
veyance, which  admits  of  no  certainty  or  security  in  their  deliv- 
ery to  the  proper  agent  for  receiving  tlKMii.  AVe  advise  the  cit- 
izens of  San  Diego  to  place  no  de})endenec  u[)on  the  mails,  but 
to  send  their  letters  through  In-  any  other  channel."  This  last 
sentence  doubtless  referred  to  the  cxpi'ess  companies,  between 
whom  and  the  postoffice  department  th.ere  was  considerable  riv- 
alry at  the  time.  The  same  com]ilaints  as  to  insufficient  pay 
and  poor  service  came  from  all  pai'ts  of  the  Pacitic  coast. 

In  June,  1851,  the  rate  of  postage  on  letters  was  reduced  from 
forty  cents  to  six  cents.  Complaints  about  poor  service  contin- 
ued and  Editor  Ames  made  a  i)ractice  of  getting  his  exehanges 
from  the  ])ursers  of  the  steamers,  instead  of  depending  upon 
the  mails. 


254  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Soon  after  the  United  States  took  possession  of  the  Gadsden 
Purchase,  a  semi-weekly  mail  service  was  put  on  between  San 
Antonio  and  San  Diego,  by  G.  H.  Giddings  and  J.  C.  Woods. 
The  first  mail  by  this  line  left  San  Diego  on  August  9,  1857, 
carried  on  pack  animals  under  the  care  of  R.  W.  Laine,  a  young 
man  of  San  Diego  County.  The  first  overland  mail  to  arrive 
was  on  the  31st  of  the  same  month,  under  the  care  of  James  E. 
Mason,  and  was  the  occasion  of  great  rejoicing.  It  had  made 
the  unprecedented  time  of  34  days  from  San  Antonio. 

In  September,  1857,  the  government  entered  into  a  contract 
with  John  Butterfield  and  his  associates  for  carrying  the  mails 
between  St.  Louis  and  the  Pacific  Coast,  at  a  cost  of  $600,000 
a  year.  The  preparations  were  very  elaborate,  and  the  regula- 
tions read  curiously  at  this  day.  Each  passenger  on  the  mail- 
coach  was  required' to  provide  himself  with  a  Sharp's  rifle,  100 
cartridges,  a  Colt's  revolver,  belt  and  holster,  knife  and  sheath, 
a  pair  of  thick  boots  and  woolen  pants,  underclothing,  a  soldier's 
overcoat,  one  pair  of  woolen  ])lankets,  an  India  rubber  blanket, 
and  a  bag  with  needles,  thread,  sponge,  brush,  comb,  soap,  and 
towels.  The  coaches  were  drawn  most  of  the  way  by  six  horses. 
The  sub-contractors  were  Jennings  and  Doyle,  and  in  1859  Dana 
speaks  of  Doyle  as  living  in  San  Diego.  When  the  Civil  War 
came  on,  the  military  posts  in  Arizona  and  New  ^lexico  were 
withdrawn  and  the  Southern  mail  route  abandoned.  There  had 
been  much  trouble  with  Indians,  especially  in  Arizona  with  the 
Apaches,  and  the  protection  was  never  adequate. 

In  1865,  the  overland  mail  by  the  Southern  route  was  resumed, 
but  it  went  to  Los  Angeles  by  way  of  Warner's  Pass,  and  thence 
to  San  Francisco,  missing  San  Diego.  In  1867.  Major  Ben.  C. 
Truman  was  appointed  postal  agent  for  California  and  used  his 
influence  to  have  the  route  changed  to  run  by  way  of  San  Diego. 
The  contractors,  Thompson  &  Griffith,  had  lieen  losing  money, 
and  took  advantage  of  this  change  to  abandon  their  contract. 
Mr.  John  G.  Capron,  who  was  then  living  in  Tucson  and  had 
been  engaged  in  the  mail  route  business  for  some  years,  driving 
for  Jennings  &  Doyle  and  others,  thereupon  went  to  AVashing- 
ton  and  secured  the  contract  between  Los  Angeles  and  El  Paso, 
913  miles.  He  then  moved  to  San  Diego,  and  continued  to  oper- 
ate this  line  for  seven  years,  from  1867  to  1874.  The  portions  of 
the  route  l)etween  El  Paso  and  Tucson,  and  from  San  Diego  to 
Los  Angeles,  were  sublet.  ]Mr.  Capron  tells  many  interesting 
stories  of  his  troubles  with  the  Apache  Indians  in  Arizona,  but 
the  California  Indians  never  gave  him  much  trouble. 

In  1847.  a  census  of  San  Diego  County  was  taken  by  Captain 
Davis  of  the  ]\Iormon  Company,  by  order  of  Colonel  Stevenson. 
It  showed  the  following: 


CENSUS  OF  1850 


255 


roimlatioii    111'    whiles    24S 

Tiiinc    1  ndians    or    neoiiliytes    4J^.3 

Wild    liulians   or   gentiles    looO 

Sandwich    Islanders    3 

Negroes  3 

Total   population   of   county    2287 


JOHN  G.   CAPRON 

Who  owned  the  stage  line  and    mail    contract   from   Los   Angeles  to  EI   Paso,   913  miles 
between  1867  and  1884.     Closely  identified  with  the  movement  which  brought 

the  Santa  Fe  railroad 


The  seventh  luitiuiial  eeiisus,  tala-u  in  1850,  yave  San  Diego 
County  a  population  of  798  and  the  town  (including  La  Playa) 
650, — this,  of  course,  not  including  Indians.  In  1860  the  countv 
had  4.324  and  in  1870,  4.951. 

Tlie  hrst  county  assessment  roll,  in  1850,  shows  Ihc  value  of 
taxable  property  to  have  been : 

Eanch    lands     .$255,281 

10  stores  with  capital  of    65,395 

6  vineyards,  value  not  stated 

87    hoiises    104.302 

6789  head  of  cattle    92,280 

Total $51 7,258 


256 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


The  assessment  ruli  for  tlie  city  of  San  Diego  gave  tlie  follow- 
ing valuations : 

San   Diego    (Old  Town)    $264,210 

New  Town   (Graytowa,  or  Davis's  Folly)    80,050 

Middletown     30,000 

Total     $375,260 

In  January,  1852,  the  Herald  said  there  was  not  a  vacant 
house  in  the  town,  and  that  over  200  people  had  recently  arrived. 
In  1853,  flour  sold  at  $22  per  barrel,  pork  from  32  to  35  cents, 
barley  at  -1  cents,  rice  at  10  cents,  sugar  from  14  to  20  cents,  and 
potatoes  from  5  to  51/2  cents,  per  pound. 


rC'^ef^^^^^Ajfi 


Uii»At^^3«SSij4^#i*  ^t 


OLD   TOWN   SCHOOL 


By  the  next  year  (1854)  the  town  was  not  so  prosperous,  and 
a  public  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the  state  of  the  country, 
at  which  a  proposal  to  construct  a  good  road  to  Temecula,  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  the  ^Mormon  trade,  was  considered.  In 
May,  1855,  eggs  sold  for  50  cents  per  dozen  and  butter  at  50 
cents  per  pound.  The  best  flour  came  from  San  Bernardino  and 
was  preferred  to  that  from  Chile.  The  Herald  complains  of  a 
want  of  enterprise  and  says  the  town  is  going  down  hill. 


SOME  EARLY  ADVERTISERS 


257 


ill  1856,  tiour  was  worth  $6  pei'  cwt.  at  the  mill,  wheat  22i/li 
cents  ])er  pound,  Ijai'ley  4  cents  i)er  pound,  and  hay  $35  per  ton. 

In  1859,  times  were  hard  and  the  town  dull.  The  Herald  says 
a  tailor,  shoemaker,  watchmaker,  and  gunsmith  are  needed,  but 
is  gratified  to  learn  that  "several  of  our  merchants  and  mechan- 
ics, who  intended  to  leave  this  ])laee  on  account  of  dull  times, 
have  come  to  the  conclusion  to  remain  a  little  while  longer." 

On  May  29,  1851.  the  following  Old  Town  advertisements 
appeared  in  the  fii'st  numhei-  of  the  Herald: 


THE  FAMOUS  BELLS  AT  THE  OLD  TOWN  CHURCH 


Marks    and    Fletcher,    general    iiiercliandise,    west    side    of    the 

plaza; 
Exchange  Hotel   and   Billiard    Snliiiu..    (;.     P.     Tebbetts    &     Co., 

plaza ; 
Panto.ia  House,  Chas.  J.  Laning,  east  side  of  plaza; 
Colorado   House,  H.  J.   Couts,   plaza; 
Frederick  J.  Paiuter,  M.l).,  plaza. 
Nearly  all  the  flour  aiid  gi-:iiii   used   in   the  country  at  this 
period  was  imported,  although  most  rnurlies  had  small   jiatehcs 
of  corn,  beans,  and  wheat  for  lioiuc  consumption.     Tn  1>;.">:^.  moi-.^ 


258 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


grain,  principally  barley,  was  raised  in  the  little  valley  of  Viejas 
than  in  all  the  rest  of  the  country.  It  was  hauled  in  to  Old 
Town,  in  ^lexican  carts,  over  a  wild,  broken  country,  witliout 
roads  a  great  part  of  the  way.  Captain  Bogart  was  not  dis- 
couraged by  the  destruction  of  his  crop  of  barley  by  antelope 
and  rabbits  on  North  Island  in  1852,  but  persevered  and  raised 
good  crops  at  that  place,  in  1855  and  1856. 

Among    the    first    to    practice    agriculture    successfully    were 
Colonel  Eddy  and  Roliert  Kelly,  owners  of  the  Jamacha  Raneho, 


LOUIS   ROSE 

A  very  notable  business  man  of  the  early  days,  whose  name  is  perpetuated  by  Rose  Canyon 

and  Roseville 


who  planted  300  acres  to  rye,  wheat,  oats,  barley,  and  potatoes 
in  1852,  and  made  a  success  of  it. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  ventures  of  the  time  was  the  tan- 
nery of  Louis  Rose,  established  in  1853.  It  was  situated  in 
Rose's  Canyon,  about  six  miles  from  town  and  was  quite  com- 
pletely fitted  up.  There  were  20  bark  vats,  2  cisterns  with  a 
capacity  of  500  gallons  each,  6  lime  and  water  vats,  a  bark  mill, 
an  adobe  house  foi"  curryinu  leather,  and  several  force  pumps. 


A  MAN  OF  ENTERPRISE 


259 


'I'tic  \;its  had  a  capacity  itf  from  80  to  100  hides.  The  liead  tan- 
ner was  Mr.  Rose's  nephew,  X.  J.  Alexaiuh'r.  Bark  was  liauh'd 
a  distance  of  ten  niih>s  and  cost  $12  to  $15  [mt  ton.  Hides,  of 
course,  were  plentiful,  and  were  ol)tained  in  exchange  for  leather 
products.  He  employed  a  Mexican  workman  who  made  up  the 
h'atlier  into  shoes,  botas,  and  saddles,  lie  used  in  one  year  3,500 
hides  and  1,500  skins  of  deer,  goat,  sheep,  and  sea-lion,  and  sold 
$8,000  worth  of  products.  It  is  not  easy  to  determine  whether 
the  business  paid,  but  Alexander  died  in  1854,  and  it  was  aban- 
doned soon  after. 

Mr'.  Rose  was  an  unusually  enterprisina-  man  and  eneac'ed  in 
man\-  undertakings.  At  one  time,  he  undertook  the  manufacture 
of  mattresses  from  sea-weed ;  he  prospected  for  coal  at  the  mouth 


HOUSE  OF  ALBERT  B.  SMITH,  OLD  TOWN 


of  Rose's  Canyon,  and  thought  lie  had  a  de]iosit  of  valual)le  clay. 
He  gave  considerable  attention  to  copper  and  silver  mines  in 
San  Diego  County,  and  in  January,  1858,  it  was  stated  that  he 
had  sold  a  half  interest  in  these  mines  for  $30,000.  At  that 
time,  there  were  about  1,000  tons  of  ore  ready  to  ship.  Mr.  Rose 
is  also  remembered  as  the  founder  of  Roseville. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  of  the  earh'  days  was  the 
work  of  some  .Mormons,  bent  upon  the  enterprise  of  mining  coal 
on  the  north  shore  of  Point  Loma,  late  in  1855,  in  response  to  a 
"revelation."  Obtaining  a  lease  of  land  from  the  city  trustees, 
they  proceeded  to  make  borings  which  pein'trated  several  strata 
of  coal,  ranging  from  three  inches  to  a  foot  in  thickness.  In 
April.  185f),  they  announced  that  they  had  discovered  a  vein  of 
good  coal  foui-  and  a  lialf  feet  thick  near  the  old  liu-ht-house  on 


260 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


Point  Lonia,  and  began  to  sink  a  shaft.  Considerable  machinery 
was  installed  and  a  few  experienced  miners,  as  well  as  engineers, 
employed,  but  nothing  came  of  the  enterprise.  Naturally,  it 
excited  high  hopes  while  it  lasted. 

A  curions  aftermath  of  the  Garra  uprising  in  1851  was  the 
belated  arrival  of  a  party  of  rough  characters  from  San  Fran- 
cisco in  the  role  of  volunteers  for  the  protection  of  the  country 
against  the  Indians.  At  the  beginning  of  the  outbreak,  the  gov- 
ernor had  been  asked  for  assistance  and  had  enlisted  a  large 
company  to  go  to  San  Diego  in  response  to  this  appeal.  Just 
as  they  were  about  to  sail,  the  governor  was  notified  that  the 
trouble  was  over,  but  about  fifty  of  the  volunteers  refused  to 
be  deprived  of  their  adventure.     They  arrived  in  San  Diego  in 


LOPEZ   HOUSE,    OLD   TOWN 


December  and  went  into  camp  in  Mission  Valley.  A  variety  of 
trouble  ensued,  until  the  San  Diegans  began  to  fear  that  their 
deliverers  from  San  Francisco  constituted  a  worse  menace  to  the 
public  peace  than  the  Indians  themselves.  Horses  were  forcibly 
taken  from  the  settlers  and  rows  occurred  in  the  plaza.  Philip 
Crosthwaite  received  an  ugly  wound,  but  responded  by  shooting- 
one  of  the  volunteers  named  Watkins.  Avho  lost  a  leg  in  the 
encounter.  At  last,  the  roughs  chartered  a  vessel  and  returned 
to  San  Francisco,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  conununity. 

Thieving  became  so  common  and  so  annoying  in  the  early  days 
of  American  rule  that  in  1851  a  law  was  enacted  fixing  a  peii- 
alty  of  imprisonment  from  one  to  ten  years,  "or  by  death,  in  the 
discretion  of  the  jury,"  for  taking  property  to  the  vahu^  of  fifty 
dollars   or   more.      A   hard    character   named   James    Robinson. 


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262 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


familiarly  known  as  "Yankee  Jim,"  suffered  the  extreme  pen- 
alty for  stealing'  the  only  row-boat  in  the  liay.  The  verdict  of 
the  jury  was  as  follows : 

"Your  jurors  in  the  within  case  of  James  Robinson  have  the 
honor  to  return  a  verdict  of  'guilty'  and  do  therefore  sentence 
him.  James  Robinson,  to  be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  dead.  Cave 
J.  Couts,  foreman  of  the  jury." 

The  poor  fellow  could  not  believe  that  he  was  to  l)e  hanged 
until  the  very  last  moment.  He  appeared  to  think  it  all  a  grim 
joke  or,  at  the  worst,  a  serious  effort  to  impress  him  with  the 
enormity  of  his  evil  ways.  He  was  still  talking  when  Deputy 
Sheriff  Crosthwaite  gave  the  signal.     Then  the  cart  was  driven 


REMAINS   OF   JAIL   AT   OLD   TOWN 
Possibly  the  first  instance  of  graft  in  California 


from,  beneath  him  and  he  was  left  dangling  in  the  air.  Surely, 
the  punishment  was  far  more  wicked  than  the  crime,  yet  the 
example  must  have  proved  very  eft'ective  in  discouraging  theft. 
There  are  other  instances  of  frontier  justice  which,  when  com- 
pared with  the  methods  of  today,  show  that  society  has  grown 
much  kinder  witli  the  passing  of  time.  Such  testimony  as  the 
following  item  from  the  Herald  indicates  that  there  was  much 
excuse  for  rough  justice : 


BUILDING  THE  JAIL 


263 


A  lot  of  grcasois  li;ul  a  bdilc  the  utlier  eveniu^,  ami  as  tliat 
was  not  enough  for  one  night,  they  turned  to  and  stoned  a  [toor 
Indian,  belonging  to  Mrs.  ^Tarron,  until  he  quietly  laid  down 
and  died.  This  is  considered  fine  sport,  and  as  our  magistrates 
don't  trouble  about  sueh  little  matters,  it  will  probably  be  re- 
peated  on  the   next  occasion,   with   perhaps  slight   variation. 

And  here  is  a  gruesome  iiioinory  of  tli(^  fierce  old  times  related 
by  ^Irs.  Carson  : 

One  day  I  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  old  Franklin  House  an<l 
saw  one  man  shoot  another,  and  I  was  the  only  witness.  Just 
as  T   was   going  to   tell    about   it,   Mr.   Pendleton,    wiio   came   u|p 


JOSE  ANTONIO   SERRANO 

Member  of  prominent  Spanish  family.     He  served  under  Pico  in  the  Mexican 
War,  participating-  in  the  Battle  of  San  Pasqual 


and  saw  that  I  had  seen  what  had  occurred,  gave  me  a  wink 
and  I  stopped  myself  in  time.  T  did  not  know,  then,  why  he 
wanted  me  to  keep  quiet,  but  I  did  so.  lie  explained  after- 
wards that  he  thought  it  would  be  unpleasant  for  me  to  have 
to  be  a  witness.  This  was  in  January  or  February,  ^'^CC\  and 
before   we   were    married. 

The  story  of  the  huildiiig'  of  the  oobblestoue  jail  at  OKI  Town 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  annals  of  San  Diego.     It 


264  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

was  one  of  the  first  things  undertaken  when  the  Americans  came 
into  possession  of  the  city  government.  The  contract  was  let 
for  $5,000  to  Agostin  Haraszthy,  who  was  city  marshal  and  sher- 
iff at  the  time  and  whose  father  was  president  of  the  city  coun- 
cil. The  bid  of  Israel  Brothers,  $2,000  lower,  was  rejected.  The 
cobbles  were  laid  in  ordinary  mortar,  without  cement,  and  the 
building  was  seriously  damaged  by  a  heavy  rain  while  in  the 
course  of  construction.  The  contractor  demanded  a  further 
allowance  or  relief  from  his  contract,  and  they  allowed  him 
$2,000  more,  making  $7,000  in  all.  It  soon  appeared  that  there 
was  not  enough  money  in  the  treasury  to  complete  the  payment, 
whereupon  city  scrip  was  issued  for  the  balance,  in  denomina- 
tions of  $100.    It  read  as  follows : 

No.  45,  $100. 

San  Diego,  March  28,  1S51. 
To  the  treasurer  of  the  City  of  San  Diego:  Please  pay  to 
Agostin  Haraszthy  or  bearer,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars 
out  of  the  General  Fund,  with  interest  at  8  per  cent,  per  month, 
until  advertised  for  payment — on  account  of  contract  for  build- 
ing jail. 

By   authority   of    an    Ordinance    of   the    Common    Council   ap- 
proved  March'  28,   1851. 

G-.  P.  Tebbetts, 

Treasurer    of    the    Common    Council. 
A.  J.  Matsell, 

Clerk  of   the  Common   Council. 

But  little  of  this  scrip  was  ever  paid,  though  some  of  it  was 
exchanged  for  city  lands.  In  1853,  the  town  trustees  resigned 
in  a  body  in  order  to  defeat  a  suit  which  had  been  liegun  to 
enforce  payment  of  this  and  othei-  scrip.  This  unusual  course 
seems  to  have  been  justified  by  the  wretched  job  which  had  been 
foisted  upon  the  town.  The  jail  was  practically  worthless,  and 
the  very  first  prisoner  sent  there  promptly  dug  his  way  (mt.  It 
still  stands  as  a  picturesque  reminder  of  old  times.  It  is  within 
the  enclosure  of  an  old  Indian,  Rafael  Mamudes,  and  is  often 
visited  by  a  class  of  people  who  do  not  ordinarily  hunger  to  see 
the  inside  of  a  jail,  and  would  not  in  this  case  save  for  his- 
toric interest  and  the  easy  exit  afforded.  The  only  prison ei-  ever 
successfully  confined  within  the  walls  is  a  fine  pepper  tree,  cheer- 
fully growing  in  one  of  the  cells. 

The  cobblestone  jail  was  succeeded  by  an  iron  cage,  5'7"x8'6", 
with  a  height  of  7'.  It  had  a  wood  roof  and  floor  and  was  lined 
with  sheet  iron.  It  is  now  in  use  as  a  city  jail,  at  Coronado 
Tent  City.  While  not  imposing  in  appearance,  it  has  the  merit 
of  holding  the  bad  men  consigned  to  it. 

The  end  of  Old  Town  as  a  community  of  any  importance  was 
the  great  fire  of  April  20,  1872.     It  began  in  Mrs.  Schiller's 


THE  ANCIENT  CANNON  265 

kitelioii.  spvcnd  to  the  Gilii.  Fi-aiiklin  and  Colorado  houses  and 
eonsuined  all  tlie  business  places  on  the  plaza.  This  disastrous 
event  turned  the  scale  in  favor  of  the  vigorous  young  commu- 
nity which  was  growing  up  on  llorton's  addition. 

The  most  eloquent  reminders  of  the  time  that  is  gone  are  the 
two  old  cannon,  one  lying  on  the  plaza  at  Old  Town,  the  other 
treasured  by  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Both  be- 
longed to  the  Spanish  fort  on  Ballast  Point  and  were  removed 
to  Old  Town  in  183S.  The  one  which  lies  in  the  plaza  long  stood 
upright  in  the  earth  and  was  irreverently  used  as  a  hitching  i)ost 
for  horses  and  a  whipping-post  for  naughty  Indians.  The 
bronze  gun,  "El  Jupiter,"  now  in  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
was  cast  at  Manila  in  1783.  These  ancient  cannon  did  duty 
under  three  flags  and  typify  the  history  of  San  Diego.  If  their 
iron  lips  could  speak  the  language  of  human  tongues,  they  could 
tell  the  whole  story  of  the  Plymouth  of  the  AVest,  with  its  vary- 
ing fortunes  under  Ihe  dominion  of  Spaniard.  Mexican  and 
American. 


CHAPTER  XII 


AMERICAN   FAMILIES   OF   THE   EARLY   TIME 

T  WILL  now  W  in  order  to  give  some  account 
of  the  early  American  settlers  of  San  Diego, 
before  proceeding  to  tell  the  story  of  the  new 
city.  A  few  who  came  before  the  ^lexican 
War  have  already  been  sketched  and  the 
Spanish  families  are  grouped  in  Chapter  VI. 
Part  II.  Some  of  the  names  appearing  in  this 
chapter  may  he  strange  to  the  present  gener- 
ation, though  familiar  to  older  settlers.  The  necessity  of  com- 
pressing this  history  into  one  volume  of  moderate  size  renders 
it  impossil)le  to  do  full  justice  to  all  these  i)ioneers.  The  most 
essential  facts  have  l)een  condensed  and  arranged  with  a  view 
to  giving  as  much  information  as  possible  concerning  them,  in 
a  brief  and  impartial  manner. 

AMES,  Julian.  Was  a  sailor  from  Amesbury.  IMass.,  and 
said  to  have  been  an  uncle  of  the  well  known  Cakes  xVmes.  He 
married,  in  Lower  California,  a  lady  named  Espinosa.  He  was 
an  otter  hunter  in  18-16,  and  served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Mex- 
ican War.  He  held  some  offices  at  an  early  day.  including  that 
of  city  trustee  in  1853  and  1855.  About  1859*  or  1860,  he  set- 
tled on  El  Cajon  ranch,  where  he  died  in  February,  1866.  His 
children  were :  Francisco,  who  lives  in  Lower  California  ;  Sam, 
who  married  Adelaide,  a  daughter  of  Jose  Antonio  Serrano,  and 
lives  in  Lower  California  ;  Jose,  who  married  iNIaria,  daughter 
of  Jose  ]\Iachado,  and  lived  and  died  at  Lakeside;  ^lary,  who 
married  James  Flynn;  and  Nievas,  who  married  Charles  Green- 
leaf,  of  Lakeside. 

BEAN,  Joshua  H.  Settled  in  San  Diego  during  the  military 
occupation  and  was  a  prominent  citizen.  He  served  as  alcalde 
in  1850  and  as  mayor  in  the  same  year,  being  the  last  alcalde 
and  the  first  mayor  of  San  Diego.  While  mayor,  he  signed  the 
deed  for  the  "]\Iiddletown  Addition, ' '  May  27,  1850.  He  removed 
to  Los  Angeles  in  1851.  and  at  the  time  of  the  Garra  Insurrec- 
tion was  major-general  of  State  ^Militia  and  came  to  San  Diego 
to  preside  over  the  courtmartial.  He  kept  a  store  at  San  Gabriel 
and  was  a  prominent  citizen  of  Southern  California.  He  was- 
killed,  in  November,  1852,  by  ^lexican  ruffians,  near  Los  Angeles. 


JUDGE  THOMAS  H.  BUSH  267 

BOGART,  Captain  J.  C.  ('ai)taiii  Hoyart  was  (iiic  ol'  the  earli- 
est visitors,  touching  here  in  1834.  in  the  ship  Black  Warrior. 
In  1852  he  became  the  agent  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Com- 
pany at  La  Playa,  with  headquarters  on  the  hnlk  Clarissa 
Aitdrrtrs.  and  held  the  position  many  years.  lie  I'epreseiitcd  the 
county  ill  Ihe  State  Senate  in  18()2-3,  and  was  actively  connected 
with  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Railroad  project.  He  was  unmar- 
ried. In  1873  he  revisited  ^^all  Diego  and  gave  some  intei-esting 
reminiscences. 

BUSH,  Thomas  lleni-y.  .Judge  Bush  was  l)orn  in  [Pennsyl- 
vania, June  8,  1831,  and  came  to  California  in  1853.  He  learned 
the  bookbinder's  ti'ad(\  which  he  followed  in  San  Francisco,  and 
also  engaged  in  mining  and  kept  a  store  in  Lower  California. 
He  came  to  San  Diego  in  1865,  where  at  first  he  kept  a  store, 
and  in  1868  became  postmaster.  Tn  tlie  same  year  he  was 
ai)i)ointed  county  .judue  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Julio  Osuna, 
and  held  the  office  eight  years.  He  was  also  school  trustee  and 
city  trustee;  in  the  latter  capacity,  he  was  instrumental  in  sell- 
ing the  city  lands  to  Horton,  and  signed  the  deed.  From  1878 
to  1887.  he  was  absent  from  San  Diego,  prospecting  and  visiting 
in  his  native  state.  In  his  later  days,  he  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business,  was  a  notary,  and  secretary  of  the  San  Diego 
Society  of  Pioneers.     Wo  died  December  17.  1898. 

He  married  Ellen  Augusta  Porter.  They  had  one  daughter. 
Bertha,  born  in  San  Francisco  in  1863.  Miss  Porter  was  an 
early  teacher  at  Old  Town. 

Judge  Bush  was  not  a  lawyei-.  and  might,  perhaps,  have  made 
a  more  satisfactory  record  as  a  .judge  had  he  been  one.  At  the 
time  of  the  agitation  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  frtmi 
Old  Town  to  Horton 's  Addition,  he  showed  decided  bias  in  favor 
of  the  Old  Town  faction,  and  the  people  of  New  San  Diego 
always  remembered  it. 

CASSIDY.  Andrtnv.  A  native  of  County  Cavan.  Ireland.  He 
came  to  America  when  17  and  was  employed  three  yeai's  at  West 
Point,  in  the  Engineering  Corps,  under  General  George  B. 
McClellan.  He  then  went  to  Washington  and  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Coast  Survey  Ot^ce,  uuder  Professor  Bache.  About  a  year 
later,  he  was  one  of  a  pai-ty  sent  to  the  Pacific  Coast  under 
Lieutenant  AV.  T.  Trowbi"idge.  They  reached  San  Francisco  in 
July,  1853.  and  a  month  biter  came  to  S;in  Diego,  established 
a  tidal  gauge  at  La  Playa,  and  left  Cassidy  in  charge.  He 
remained  in  charge  of  this  tidal  gauge,  and  of  mefeorolotri-'al 
ob.servations,  for  seventeen  years,  aiul  also  gave  consideraltle 
attention  to  collecting  specimens  for  the  Smithsonian  Instituticui. 

In  1864,  ■Mr.  Cassidy  became  owiuu*  of  the  Soledad  Rancho, 
containing  1.000  acres,  where  the  town  of  Sorrento  is  situated. 


268  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

and  engaged  i]i  the  live  stoek  Inisiness  until  in  1887,  when  he 
sold  the  property.     He  is  also  a  propert.y  owner  in  San  Diego. 

His  first  wife  was  Rosa  Serrano,  daughter  of  Jose  Antonio 
Serrano,  who  died  Septernl^er  10.  1860.  He  married,  second, 
Mary  Smith,  daughter  of  Albert  B.  Smith,  who  is  now  deceased. 
Tliey  had  one  daughter,  Mary  Winifred.  ]Mr.  Cassidy  is  still 
living,  a  respected  citizen  of  San  Diego.  He  held  several  public 
offices  at  an  early  day.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Pub- 
lic Works  as  late  as  his  88tli  year. 

CLAYTON,  Henry.  Came  to  San  Diego  with  the  boundary 
commission  as  a  surveyor.  lie  married  the  widow  of  Captain 
Joseph  F.  Snook  (Maria  Antonia  Alvarado  de  Snook).  They 
are  both  deceased  and  left  no  children.  Clayton  held  the  office 
of  city  surveyor  for  a  short  time  in  1850,  and  was  the  first  county 
surveyor,  serving  for  several  terms  in  the  50 's  and  60 's. 

CONNORS,  James  W.  A  soldier  who  came  to  San  Diego  with 
Magruder's  Battalion  in  1850.  He  married  Harriet  Vandergrift, 
sister  of  Richard  Kerren's  wife.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  seven 
years  under  James  McCoy  and  still  lives  in  Coronado.  His  son, 
George  A.  Connors,  married  Isabel  Smith,  daughter  of  A.  B. 
Smith.  She  is  now  deceased;  he  is  still  living;  they  had  three 
children  :  James  W.  Connors.  Jr.,  married  Helen  Minter  and 
lives  in  Old  Town.  Has  four  children.  William  E.  Connors, 
married  first,  a  Minter,  who  died ;  married  second,  Dolores  Alva- 
rado. Has  one  child,  living  at  Whittier:  employed  at  reform 
school.  Paul  S.  Connors,  married  Mary  N.  Stewart,  daughter 
of  John  C.  Stewart.  Lives  at  Old  Town.  Is  night  watchman 
at  the  court  house,  San  Diego ;  has  been  postmaster  at  Old  Town, 
where  he  keeps  a  store.  Has  two  children  living,  one  dead. 
Hattie  Connors,  married  Ben  Lyons ;  lives  at  Coronado.  Sarah 
Connors,  married  first.  Dr.  Edward  Bun- :  second,  Angelo 
Smith.  Dead.  ]\rary  J.  Connors,  died  in  a  Los  Angeles  school. 
I^nmarried. 

GOUTS,  Cave  Johnson.  Born  near  Springfield,  Tennessee, 
November  11,  1821.  His  uncle.  Cave  Johnson,  Avas  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury  under  President  Polk,  and  had  him  appointed  to 
West  Point,  where  he  graduated  in  1843.  He  served  on  the  fron- 
tier until  after  the  Mexican  War,  and  was  then  at  Los  Angeles, 
San  Luis  Rey,  and  San  Diego  from  1818  to  1851.  In  1849  he 
conducted  the  Whipple  expedition  to  the  Colorado  River. 

On  April  5,  1851.  he  married  Ysidora  Bandini,  daughter 
of  Juan  Bandini,  of  San  Diego.  In  Oetolier  of  the  same 
year  he  resigned  from  the  army,  and  was  soon  after  appointed 
colonel  and  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Bigler. 
In  the  Garra  insurrection  he  served  as  ad.iutant,  and  at 
the  courtmartial  was  judge-advocate.  He  was  a  member 
of   the   first    grand   .jury    September,    1850,    and    county    .iudge 


CAREER  OF  CAVE  J.  COUTS        269 

in  1854.  In  1853  he  vcmovcd  1(»  ;i  ti'Mct  known  as  tlio  (xjiii- 
jome  grant,  a  wedding  gift  to  his  wifi-  I'l-oiii  lier  brothor-in- 
law,  Abel  Stearns.  Having  Ix'cii  apjtoiiilcd  sulj-agent  for  tiie 
San  Luis  Rev  Indians,  Colonel  ('outs  was  al)le  to  secure  all  the 
cheap  labor  needed  for  the  inij)roveinent  of  his  property.  His 
business  affairs  were  managed  with  skill  and  military  precision, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Southern  Califor- 
nia. He  purchased  the  San  Marcos,  Buena  Vista,  and  La  Jolla 
ranehos.  and  also  govennneiit  land,  amounting  in  all  to  al)out 
20,000  aeres.  His  home  was  widely  celebrated  for  its  hospital- 
ity. He  entertained  Helen  Hunt  Jackson  while  she  was  collect- 
ing materials  for  Ramona,  and  part  of  the  story  is  supposed  to 
be  laid  at  the  Gaujome  raneho.  As  Colonel  Couts's  w^ealth  con- 
sisted largely  of  cattle,  the  ])assage  of  the  "no  fence"  law  was 
a  severe  blow*  to  him,  and  one  from  whieh  he  never  fully  recov- 
ered. He  died  at  the  Horton  House,  in  San  Diego,  June  10, 
1874.  He  was  over  six  feet  tall,  perfectly  straight,  and  weighed 
165  pounds.  He  was  a  man  of  good  edncation.  strict  integrity, 
and  gentlemanly  manners.  His  widow  contimied  to  live  on  the 
raneho  and  manage  it  utilil  her  death. 

Their  children  were  ten,  of  whom  nine  lived  to  maturity: 
Abel  Stearns,  who  died  in  1855,  aged  nearly  four  years :  ^laria 
Anton ia.  who  was  married  to  Chalmers  Scott,  and  still  lives  in 
San  Diego;  William  Bandini,  who  married  Christina,  daughter 
of  Salvador  Estudillo,  and  is  a  farmer  living  near  San  ^larcos; 
Ysidora  Forster,  who  was  married  to  W.  D.  Gray;  Elena,  mar- 
ried to  Parker  Dear  and  lived  several  years  on  the  Santa  Rosa 
raneho;  Robert  Lee:  John  Forster:  aiul  Caroline. 

COUTS,  William  B.  Bi-olher  of  Cave  J.  Couts,  married  a 
daughter  of  Santiago  E.  Ai-giirllo.  He  was  county  clerk  and 
recorder  in  1855-6-7-8,  postmaster  in  1858,  justice  of  the  i^eace 
in  1861,  ete.  In  1857  he  seems  to  have  held  nearly  all  the  eouii1.\- 
offices  at  one  time,  if  credit  is  to  be  given  the  Herald  of  Api-il 
27th  in  that  year.  His  son.  George  A.  Couts,  is  a  San  Diego 
city  policeman. 

CROSTHWAITE,  Philip.  Was  born  December  27.  1S25.  in 
Athy,  County  Kildai-e,  Ireland,  where  his  parents  were  visiting 
their  old  home,  they  having  emigrated  to  the  Ignited  States  some 
years  before.  On  their  return  to  America,  Philip  was  left  in  the 
care  of  his  grandparents,  and  lived  with  them  uiilil  It!,  when 
he  visited  his  mother.  In  1843  he  I'eturned  to  Ireland  t(^  com- 
plete his  education,  and  entered  Trinity  College,  Dnblin.  His 
grandmother  died  in  1845  and  he  thereupon  came  to  America 
for  a  second  visit,  intending  to  relnni  and  complet(^  his  (educa- 
tion. But  while  in  Philadel])hia,  he  met  a  yonng  man  from  Bos- 
ton with  whom  he  struck  up  an  ac<iuaintance,  and  for  a  '"lark" 
these  two  determined  to  take  a  short  sea  vovage.    Going  to  Xew- 


270  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

port,  R.  I.,  they  shipped  on  board  the  schooner  Hopewell,  Cap- 
tain Littlefield,  snpposin^i'  they  were  ])onnd  on  a  tishiny  trip  to 
the  Newfoundland  banks.  To  their  dismay,  after  reaching"  the 
open  sea,  they  found  the  ship  was  booked  for  San  Francisco. 
They  beo-o^ed  so  hard  to  be  put  ashore  that  the  captain  finally 
promised  to  allow  them  to  return  by  the  first  ship  they  met ;  but 
Crosthwaite  related  it  as  a  singular  circumstance  that  they  never 
saw  another  sail  from  that  day  until  they  reached  the  Bay  of 
San  Dieg'o. 

Crosthwaite  and  his  friend,  Rhead,  deserted  here  and  waited 
until  the  Hopewell  had  departed.  A  ship  bound  for  the  East 
came  along  soon  after,  but  there  was  room  for  only  one;  there 
was  a  toss-up  for  the  vacant  berth,  and  Crosthwaite  losing,  he 
gave  up  all  thought  of  leaving  San  Diego.  He  was  strong  and 
adventurous  and  made  his  way.  In  1846,  when  the  Mexican  War 
broke  out,  he  was  on  an  otter  hunting  expedition  on  the  Lower 
California  coast,  Avith  Julian  Ames,  John  Post,  John  C.  Stew- 
art, and  William  Curley.  Learning  of  the  war  at  the  Santa 
Rosario  Mission,  they  all  returned  to  San  Diego  and  served  in 
the  San  Pasqual  campaign.  They  reached  the  town  late  at  night, 
and  early  the  next  morning  were  awakened  by  a  thundering 
knock  at  the  door.  It  was  Captain  Gillespie,  who  said:  "There 
can  be  no  neutrals  in  this  country ;  you  must  either  enlist  for 
three  months  (as  the  war  will  probably  be  over  bv  that  time), 
or  be  impi-isoned  on  the  Congress."  He  intended  to  enlist,  any- 
way, but  the  choice  was  made  easy.  A  good  deal  of  the  local 
color  concerning  the  San  Pasqual  campaign  has  been  derived 
from  his  accounts  of  it.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  it  from  begin- 
ning to  end,  and  Avas  slightly  wounded  by  Pico's  rangers  in  the 
slaughter  of  Deceml)er  6th.  After  the  troops  left  for  the  capture 
of  Los  Angeles,  he  performed  garrison  dutA'  until  the  close  of 
the  war. 

In  1851,  CrostliAvaite  served  in  the  Garra  Insurrection,  with 
the  rank  of  third  sergeant.  After  these  troubles,  he  was  the 
mainstay  of  the  citizens  in  preserving  the  peace,  at  the  time 
when  the  San  Francisco  "Hounds"  Avere  terrorizing:  the  town, 
and  Avas  seriouslA'  woutidcd  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  as  has 
been  related. 

He  held  a  number  of  offices  at  an  early  day,  lieing  the  first 
county  treasurer,  deputy  sheriff  several  years,  and  sheriff  one 
or  tAA'o  terms.  He  Avas  also  school  commissioner  in  1850.  county 
clerk  and  recorder  in  1853-4,  and  justice  of  the  peace  in  1854. 
He  lived  for  several  years  in  ^lission  Valley,  above  Old  ToAvn, 
and  later  oAvned  the  San  Miguel  Rancho  in  LoAver  California. 
He  Avas  lessee  of  the  San  Diego  Mission  in  1848,  and  later  went 
to  the  mines.     He  also  kept  a  store  in  Old  Town,  and  Inter  in 


PHILIP  CKOSTHWAITE 

One  of  the  most   notable  and   memorable  of  early  American  settlers  and   prominent   in 

business  and  political  life 


272  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

new  San  Diego,  in  partnership  with  iNIr.  Whaley.  His  old  ledger, 
kept  in  1853,  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Joseph  Jessop,  and  shows 
many  cnrions  things.  The  tirst  entr^^  in  it  shows  the  sale  of  over 
$200  worth  of  provisions  to  Lieutenant  Derby,  for  the  use  of 
the  Indians  working  on  the  San  Diego  River  dam.  The  prices 
charged  are  also  very  interesting,  now. 

He  purchased  the  San  iMignel  Rancho  in  iSiil  and  removed  to 
Lower  California,  but  still  spent  much  of  his  time  in  San  Diego. 
He  was  an  active  and  earnest  Freemason,  and  the  first  Worship- 
ful ^lasti^r  of  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35 — the  oldest  lodge  in  the 
Southwest.  When  Lieutenant  Derby  left  San  Diego,  he  pre- 
sented Crosthwaite  with  the  Past  Master's  jewel,  which  the  lat- 
ter later  gave  to  his  l^eloved  lodge,  and  which  is  now  a  cherished 
item  of  their  furniture. 

He  married  Josef  a  Lopez,  a  daughter  of  Bonifacio  Lopez,  of 
San  Diego,  1848.  They  had  a  large  family,  of  which  seven  sons 
and  two  daughters  survived  him.  His  daughter  j\Iary  was  mar- 
ried to  J.  N.  Briseno,  of  San  Diego,  Init  the  others  live  in  Lower 
California.  He  died  in  San  Diego,  February  19,  1903.  Mrs. 
Wm.  Jeff  Gatewood  was  his  sister.  It  is  said  he  had  nearly  fifty 
grandchildren  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Crosthwaite  was  a  well  built  man,  with  a  full  beard  and  a 
remarkal)ly  deep  voice.  It  is  related  that  an  uncle  by  marriage, 
Mr.  Hempstead,  stopping  off  at  La  Playa  on  his  way  to  San 
Francisco  in  the  50 's,  recognized  him  by  his  voice,  though  he  had 
not  seen  him  for  years.  He  was  known  to  be  an  utterly  fearless 
man,  whose  courage  was  proved  in  many  hard  encounters. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  character  and  had  enemies  as  well  as 
friends.  Part  of  these  troubles  were  due  to  religious  differences, 
he  being  an  Episcopalian  and  his  wife  a  Catholic.  He  was  fond 
of  telling  his  recollections  of  early  days  and  his  stories  were  not 
always  accurate  or  free  from  prejudice.  He  was  fond  of  a  joke, 
and  it  has  been  said  that  he  carried  this  propensity  into  his 
tales  of  old  times;  but  a  careful  study  of  them  shows  clearly 
enough  that  the  inaccuracies  and  discrej^ancies  are  no  more  than 
was  natural  with  one  who  talks  a  good  deal  and  whose  memory 
is  not  remarkalile  for  its  accuracy.  That  Crosthwaite  had  some 
faults  is  doubtless  true,  but  he  was  beyond  question  a  strong,  res- 
olute man,  Avell  fitted  for  the  rough  life  of  his  time. 

CURLEY,  William.  Was  an  otter  hunter  with  Crosthwaite 
and  others,  in  1846.  Served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  -Mexican 
AYar.  He  was  an  elector  at  San  Diego,  April  1,  1850.  Mar 
ried  Ramona  Alipas,  daughter  of  Damasio  and  Juana  Machado 
de  Alipas  (later  the  wife  of  Thomas  Wrightington),  in  1844. 
He  was  drowned  in  December,  1856,  on  the  beach  near  Point 
Loma,  while  out  otter  hunting  with  an  Indian.  His  widow  after- 
ward married  William  Williams,  and  moved  to  Los  Angeles. 


FERRELL  QUITS  THE  COUNTRY  273 

DAKXKLL  (oi-  Djiniall),  Tlioiiins  R.  K('])t  a  storo  in  San 
Diego  ill  the  early  50 "s;  his  store  was  rol)l)e(l  in  February,  LSofj. 
In  the  fol lowing  March  he  was  chosen  city  trustee.  lie  was  an 
organizer  of  Ihe  Sau  Diego  &  Gihi  Railroad  ("oinpaiiy.  He  was 
unmarried.  Was  Worshipful  .Masti-r  of  the  Masonic  Lodge  in 
1858.     lie  left  San  Diego  soon  after  the  lattei"  yeai'. 

EXSWOHTll,  A.  S.  'Squire  Ensworth  came  to  San  Diego 
as  a  teamster  in  government  emjijoy.  He  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  in  1856  and  asseml)lyman  in  1859.  He  was  a  "self- 
made  man."  who  studied  law  after  being  elected  justice,  and 
later  engaged  in  the  practice  of  hiw,  with  considerable  success. 
lie  was  quite  a  reader  and  had  a  large  library,  for  the  times. 
He  died  in  a  hospit;il  at   Los  Angeles. 

FERKM<:ijL,  AVilliam  (,'.  This  pioneer  came  frcmi  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  had  two  daughters  living.  He  settled  at  San 
Diego  about  1850,  and  at  the  tirst  election,  held  in  that  year,  w^as 
chosen  district  attorney.  He  was  a  lawyer  of  abilit\-  and  a  use- 
ful member  of  the  community.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
new  San  Diego,  with  Davis  and  othei-s.  In  1852  he  was  appointed 
collector  of  the  port  and  served  one  year.  In  1854  lie  was  asses- 
sor and  schowl  conniiissioner,  and,  the  following  year,  served  as 
asseml)lyman.  In  1858  he  was  a  city  trustee,  and  in  1859  dis- 
trict attorney  again.  In  December  of  the  last  named  year,  he 
went  to  Reventadero,  near  Descanso.  Lower  California,  where 
he  lived  the  life  of  a  recluse  until  his  death.  The  reason  for  this 
action  is  somewhat  ohscure.  but  the  traditional  reason  is  at  least 
plausible.  It  is  said  that,  being  a.  somewhat  testy  man  and  hav- 
ing set  his  heart  upon  winning  a  certain  case,  it  was  decided 
against  him:  whereupon,  he  became  enraged,  banged  his  jjooks 
down  upon  the  tahle,  and  declared  that,  since  he  ccmld  not  get 
justice  in  this  country,  he  would  quit  it,  and  ju-oceeded  to  do  so 
There  is  evidence  that  he  left  in  haste  a  document  on  file  in 
the  county  clerk's  office  containing  directions  foi-  the  settlement 
of  a  number  of  small  accounts,  for  the  disposal  of  his  j^ersonal 
effects,  etc.  Ills  San  Diego  friends  ke]it  him  supplied  with  read- 
ing, and  when  they  visited  him,  found  him  always  well  informed 
and.  ap])arently,  happy.  The  newspapers  of  the  time  contain 
many  references  to  Ferrell.  how  he  watched  over  San  Diego  from 
his  mountain  fastness,  etc.     He  died  June  8,  1883. 

ERAXKLIX.  Lewis  A.  Came  to  San  Diego  in  the  suiiuik  r  of 
1851.  with  George  II.  Davis,  in  a  ti-adini;  vessel  fnuii  Sau  Fran- 
cisco. They  decided  to  remain,  and  tlirir  San  Francisco  i-epre- 
sentative.  Thomas  Whalev.  followed  in  October,  and  he  and 
P^ranklin  opened  the  Tirndu  Calif oDiin  (California  Store).  This 
partnership  was  dissolved  in  April,  1852,  Franklin  retiring. 


274  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

In  1851,  he  served  in  the  Garra  campaign,  as  a  second  lieiiten- 
ant.  With  his  brother  ^Maurice,  he  ])uilt  the  Franklin  House, 
which  was  long  a  prominent  hindmark.  He  also  practiced  law 
in  the  50 's. 

FITCH,  Henry  D.  Captain  Fitch  was  a  native  of  New  Bed- 
ford. ]\Iass.  In  1826-30,  he  was  master  of  the  ^Mexican  brig 
Maria  Ester,  calling  at  California  ports.  In  1827  he  announced 
his  intention  of  becoming  a  Mexican  citizen  and  was  naturalized 
in  1833.  He  was  baptized  at  San  Diego  in  1829  as  Enrique 
Domingo  Fitch.  His  elopement  with  Seiiorita  Josefa  Carrillo  is 
related  elsewhere.  In  1830-31  he  was  master  of  the  Leonor  and 
brought  50  Mexican  convicts  to  San  Diego,  where  23  of  them 
remained.  He  kept  a  general  store  in  Old  Town  for  many  years 
and  in  1845  this  was  the  only  store  in  the  place ;  there  had  been 
some  other  small  shops  previously.  He  bought  and  sold  hides, 
tallow,  and  furs,  outfitted  otter  hunters,  and  made  trading  voy- 
ages along  the  coast.  At  different  times  he  was  a  partner  of 
Stearns,  ]\IcKinley.  Temple  and  Paty.  Pie  was  San  Diego's  first 
syndivo,  in  1835,  and  held  other  public  offices.  In  1815,  he  made 
the  first  survey  and  map  of  the  pueblo  lands.  In  1841  he  received 
a  grant  of  the  Sotoyomi  Rancho,  in  Sonoma  County,  and  began 
to  develop  his  interests  there.  He  died  in  San  Diego  in  1849, 
and  Avas  the  last  person  buried  on  Presidio  Hill.  The  family 
removed  to  the  ranch  near  Healdsburg  soon  after  his  death,  and 
continue  to  reside  there.  Fitch  Mountain,  in  Sonoma  County, 
was  named  for  him.  Mrs.  Fitch  died  at  the  age  of  82,  having 
kept  her  faculties  remarkably  to  the  end. 

Their  children  were  eleven  in  number,  as  follows:  Henrv  E.. 
born  in  1830;  Fred.,  1832;  William,  1834;  Joseph,  1836;  Josefa, 
1837;  John  B.,  1839;  Isabella,  1840;  Charles,  1842;  Michael. 
1844;  Maria  Autonia  Natalia.  1845;  and  Anita,  1848. 

The  estimates  of  his  character  vary  somewhat,  but  are  mostly 
favorable.  Dana  hints  that  he  was  coarse,  and  perhaps  he  was 
somewhat  so,  according  to  that  young  man  \s  standards ;  old  sea 
captains  were  not  then  noted  for  their  polish.  The  testimony  is 
clear  however,  that  he  was  an  honorable,  popular,  and  influential 
man  and  a  useful  citizen. 

FORSTER,  John.  Often  called  Don  Juan  Forster,  was  born 
in  England  in  1815.  He  came  to  Guaymas  in  1831  and  two  years 
later  to  California,  settling  at  Los  Angeles.  In  1844  he  removed 
to  San  Juan  Capistrano  and  purchased  the  ex-mission  lands 
there,  where  he  lived  for  twenty  years.  In  1845  he  was  grantee 
of  the  National  Rancho.  In  1864.  having  sold  the  latter  place, 
he  bought  the  Santa  ^Margarita  Rancho  from  Pio  Pico  and  spent 
his  remaining  days  there.  He  was  for  many  years  a  man  of 
great  wealth  and  lived  and  entertained  in  generous  style;  but  in 
later  years  his  affairs  became  involved  and  he  died  compara- 


LIEUT.  ANDREW  B.  GRAY 


275 


tively  poor.  He  had  not  much  liking-  i'or  politics,  but  gave  con- 
siderable attention  to  a  number  of  colonization  schemes,  none  of 
which  he  was  able  to  carry  to  a  successful  conclusion.  He  died 
February  20,  1882.  He  was  a  useful  and  highly  respected 
citizen. 

In  1837,  he  married  Isadora  Pico,  sister  of  Pio  and  Andres 
Pico.  They  had  six  children,  some  of  whom  are  still  living  in 
San  Diego  County. 

MITCHELL,  .3.  R.  One  of  the  ablest  of  early  lawyei-s.  Was 
the  first  attorney  of  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Railroad,  and  drew 
its  charter.  He  was  district  attorney  in  1856-7-8,  and  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Masonic  order.  He  left  San  Diego 
and  settled  in  Los  Angeles. 


'SQmRE'     ENSWORTH 


GRAY,  Andrew  B.  In  addition  to  his  service  on  the  boundary 
conmiission,  Lieutenant  Gray  was  one  of  the  founders  of  new 
San  Diego,  and  probably  the  original  initiator  of  the  project. 
He  was  a  surveyor  of  more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  made  a 
survey  for  the  old  Southei-n  Pacitic  Railroad  on  the  32d  parallel 
in  1854,  as  far  as  the  Colorado  River ;  from  that  point,  he  made 
only  a  reconnaissance  into  San  Diego,  but  it  was  sufficient  to 
demonstrate  the  feasibility  of  the  route.  His  report  was  piib- 
lished  in  1856,  and  is  a  very  valuable  document.  During  the 
Civil  War,  he  became  a  major-general  in  the  Confederate  Army. 

GROO]\r,  Robert  W^.     Was  a  competent  surveyor  and  a  man 


276  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

of  good  sonsp  and  hish  standiiiii'.  He  filled  the  office  of  county 
surveyor  in  1856,  1851).  18()l-2-3.  and  was  assemblyman  in  1858 
and  1860.     He  then  went  to  Arizona. 

HAYS,  John.  First  county  .iudye  of  San  Dieyo  County,  and 
county  treasurer  in  1853.  He  came  from  Texas,  where  he  had 
been  an  actor  in  the  early  troubles.  His  farm  and  fish-pond  on 
Point  Loma  are  described  by  Lieutenant  Derby.  He  died  ]May 
21,  1857,  havino'  broken  his  neck  hy  walkinti'  over  a  steep  bank 
M'hile  on  his  way  home,  at  night. 

He  Avas  an  elector  in  1850,  and  a  director  of  the  San  Diego 
&  r;il;i  Railroad  from  its  organization  in  November,  1851. 

IIOFF.MAX,  Dr.  David  B.  This  name  first  appears  on  the 
records  on  December  1,  1855,  and  in  that  and  the  following  years 
he  served  as  coroner.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  law,  April  1, 
1856,  and  in  1859,  1860.  and  1861.  served  as  district  attorney. 
In  1857  he  was  town  trustee,  in  1862  assemblyman,  in  1865  school 
trustee,  and  in  1868  Democratic  presidential  elector  for  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  collector  of  the  port  from  1869  to  1872,  and 
also  acted  as  tidal  ganger.  His  wife's  name  was  ]Maria  Dolores, 
daughter  of  Peter  Wilder  and  Guadalu[)e  Machado,  who  died 
August  12,  1887.  He  died  in  1888,  leaving  a  son  named  Chaun- 
G>ij,  also  a  daughter,  iNIiss  Virginia  Hoffman.  He  was  a  good 
physician  and  a  much  respected  citizen. 

iSRAP:L,  Captain  Robert  D.  Is  one  of  the  few  "real  pio- 
neers" still  living.  He  is  a  native  of  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania. 
Served  in  the  Mexican  War,  in  the  Second  Division,  in  the  Rifles, 
and  saw  nuich  hard  service.  Innnediately  after  being  nuistered 
out,  in  1848,  he  came  to  San  Diego.  He  lived  at  Old  Town  sev- 
eral years,  engaged  in  blacksmithing,  keeping  a  saloon,  and  doing 
contracting  with  his  brother,  Joseph  H.  Israel.  He  became 
keeper  of  the  lighthouse  on  June  11,  1871,  and  served  until  Jan- 
uary 6,  1892.  He  was  orderly  sergeant  in  the  Garra  campaign 
and  in  charge  of  the  firing  srpiad  which  executed  that  brave  man. 
He  sei-ved  as  policeman  and  jaihu'  in  the  early  50's,  in  1858  was 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  18()5  school  trustee.  He  married 
Maria  Arcadia  Alipas,  daughter  of  Damasio  and  Juana  ^lachado 
de  Alipas,  Their  children  are:  Henry  C,  Joseph  P.  (died 
young),  Robert  L.,  and  Joseph  P.,  second.  Since  1895  he  has 
lived  in  Coronado.  His  memory  is  clear  and  his  stories  of  early 
days  most  interesting  and  valuable. 

JOIIXSOX.  Captain  George  A.  Captain  Johnson  is  one  of 
the  l)est  remembered  of  old  San  Diegans.  He  owned  the  Penas- 
quitas  Rancho  and  was  a  large  rancher  and  cattle  raiser,  and 
also  largely  interested  in  the  Colorado  Steam  Navigation  Com- 
l)any.  He  served  as  assemlilvman  for  San  Dietio  Countv  in  1868 
and  1867. 


GEORGE  LYONS  AND  FAMILY  277 

KKLLV,  I\()l)(.'i-t.  A  natiw  of  tln'  Isle  of  Man,  wlicrc  lie  was 
born  ill  182").  ('aiiic  to  America  wliilc  youii^-  and  lived  in  New- 
York  and  Xew  Orleans.  In  IS.")!)  lie  canie  west  to  the  ('oloradu 
River  and  built  a  ferry-l)oat  for  the  use  of  the  <roveriuneiit  cni;!- 
neers.  It  was  made  of  cottonwood  timber,  saw(Ml  by  hand,  lie 
soon  after  came  to  San  Dieyo  and  helped  build  the  Davis  wiiarf, 
in  1850-1.  In  1852  he  became,  with  Colonel  Edd.w  the  owner 
of  the  Jamaeha  gi'ant.  They  raised  i-ye,  wheat,  oats,  l)ai'iey.  and 
potatoes  on  300  acres,  and  this  was  amonji'  the  earliest  success- 
ful agriculture  in  San  Diego  Count\ .  In  1857  he  sold  his  ranch 
and  engaged  in  mercantile  business  with  FtaiiU  Ames  at  Old 
Town.  In  1860  he  again  engaged  in  catth'  i-aising  witii  V\  llin- 
ton,  on  the  Agua  Iledionda  Rancho,  and  later  became  sole  owner 
of  the  rancho  and  made  it  his  home.  He  served  as  jiicz  dr  paz. 
In  1856  he  was  attacked  by  bandits  and  seriously  wountled.  He 
owned  considerable  real  estate  in  new  San  Diego  and  was  an 
enterprising  and  public  spirited  citizen.  He  was  nevei-  married 
]Mr.  Charles  Kelly,  at  present  a  member  of  the  conmion  council 
of  San  Diego,  is  his  nephew^ 

KURTZ,  Daniel  Brown.  ^Ir.  Kurtz  was  the  second  mayor 
of  San  Diego,  succeeding  Geiiei-al  Bean  in  1851.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1819,  and  came  to  San  Diego  in  ■June, 
1850;  studied  law  under  J.  R.  Gitchell  and  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  1856.  He  was  state  senator  in  1852  and  1855,  county 
judge  in  1855-6.  but  resigned  in  the  latter  year:  assem])lyman  in 
1861  ami  1865-6,  and  i)resident  of  the  town  trustees  in  1862.  He 
was  appointed  brigadier-general  of  State  ^Militia  by  the  governor 
in  July,  1856.  Was  a  director  of  the  old  San  Diego  &  Gila  Kail- 
road  in  October,  1855.  He  was  a  carpent(M*  and  did  consideralile 
contracting  at  Old  Town  and  elsewhere.  He  removed  to  San 
Luis  Rev  in  1866,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  March  30.  1898. 

LYONS.  George.  A  native  of  Donegal.  Ireland,  win)  rann-  to 
San  Diego  in  1847.  He  had  been  cari)enter  on  lioard  a  whaler 
on  the  Northwest  coast.  He  kept  a  store  in  Old  Town  fiom  1851 
to  1858.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  elected  sheritt'  and  served  two 
terms,  until  1862.  when  he  was  succeeded  by  James  McCoy. 
He  was  city  trustee  and  postmaster  in  1853-4.  trustee  again  in 
1855,  etc.  He  was  also  a  director  of  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Rail- 
road from  its  organization  in  1854. 

In  1850.  h(^  married  Bernarda  Billar.  daughter  of  Lieutenant 
Billai'.  at  one  time  connuandant  of  the  San  Diego  Presidin. 
They  had  ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three  daughters.  Their 
eldest  son,  William  J.  Lyons,  mari'ied  Sarah  .\nies.  lie  was  asso- 
ciated with  II.  A.  Howard  in  the  i-eal  i-state  business  in  boom 
days,    and   the   S()ui'r)iir.    ])ublislie(l    liy    the    fii-m    of   Howard    & 


278 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


Lyons,  consisting  of  advertisements  written  for  them  by  Thomas 
L.  Fitch,  is  famous.  He  has  also  been  largely  interested  in  min- 
ing in  the  Alamo  district,  Lower  California.  His  daughter,  Mary 
Dolores,  was  married  to  J.  B.  Hinton.  She  is  now  deceased. 
They  had  no  children. 

Son,  Benj.  Lyons,  married  Hattie  Connors,  daughter  of  Jas. 
W.  Connors.    They  live  at  Coronado  and  have  three  children. 

George  Lyons  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  few  survivors 
of  the  davs  before  the  50 's. 


Lm-^ 

% 

^^ 

> 

■H^ 

m 

^^HS\^'.^™^^^^w 

y 

D.    B.    KURTZ 

One  of  the  first  mayors  of  old  San  Diego 


MANNASSE,  Joseph  S.  A  native  of  Prussia,  who  came  to 
San  Diego  in  1853  and  opened  a  store.  He  began  with  small 
capital,  but  prospered  and  soon  became  a  large  dealer.  In  1856 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  ^Marcus  Schiller,  which  continued 
many  years.  In  1868  the  firm  started  a  lumber  yard  at  the  foot 
of  Atlantic  and  E  Streets,  and  soon  after  bought  and  stocked 
the  Encinitos  Rancho.  They  built  up  a  large  business,  but  suf- 
fered severely  in  the  drought  and  hard  times  and  the  early  70 's. 


ACCOUNT  OF  JAMES  McCOY 


279 


also  ill  the  great  fire  at  Old  Town  in  April,  1S72.  They  laid  out 
and  sold  Maniiasse  &  Schiller's  Addition,  one  of  the  earliest  addi- 
tions after  Hortoii  came.  In  later  years,  Mr.  Mannasse's  prin- 
cipal business  was  that  of  broker  and  collector.  He  was  a  public 
spirited  citizen;  served  as  city  trustee  two  or  three  terms,  and 
was  president  of  that  body  when  ITorton  made  his  purchase,  l»ut 
did  not  sign  the  deed.  On  aeeouni  (if  his  small  stature  he  was 
called  Mannasse  Chico,  or  Mannasito. 

He  married  Hannah  Schiller,  a  sister  of  his  partner.  Tiiey 
had  one  daughter,  Cilita  Mannasse.  Mr.  Mannasse  died  Decem- 
ber 26,  1897. 


JAMES   MCCOY 

For  many  years  one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Old  San  Diego,  filling  various  offices, 

including  that  of  State  Senator 


McCOY.  James.  A  luilivc  of  (Vmiity  .\iitrim,  H-el;iiid,  born 
August  12,  1821.  Came  to  America  in  1842.  and  in  1849  became 
a  member  of  ]Magruder's  Battery,  and  accompanied  it  to  San 
Diego.  He  was  stationed  at  San  Luis  Rey,  with  a  small  squad, 
for  over  two  years,  and  had  some  e.\i)erience  in  Indian  warfare. 
In  1859  he  w-as  elected  coiiiily  assessor  and  in  ISiU  sheriff.  To 
the  latter  office  he  was  re-elected  five  times  and  sen^^d  until  1871, 
when  he  ])ecame  state  senator.  He  was  a  city  trustee  for  four- 
teen years  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  ])ublic  movements  of 
his  day. 

In  1868,  he  married  Winifred  Kearny,  who  survived  liim. 
She  is  now  Mrs.  F.  D.  ^lurtha.     They  had  no  children. 

Mr.  McCoy  was  a  man  of  strong  personality.  He  had  his 
friends,  also  some  bittii-  enemies.     While  city  trustee  ho   was 


280  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

deeply  involved,  with  Charles  P.  Tati'^art  and  others,  in  the  tide 
lands  speenlation,  over  which  a  political  controversy  ra^ed.  The 
"tide  landers"  won  at  the  polls,  but  the  courts  finally  decided 
that  the  city  had  no  title  to  the  tide  lands.  ]\Ir.  ^IcCoy  was  a 
man  of  considerable  ability  and  a  stanch  friend  of  Old  Town. 
iMINTER,  John.  Accordino-  to  the  Herald,  this  man  was 
attacked  by  an  Indian  and  seriously  cut  in  the  left  arm,  in  Aug- 
ust, 1857.  He  married  Serafina  Wrightington.  daughter  of 
Thomas  Wrightington,  and  they  had  a  family  of  six  children. 
He  died  several  years  ago.  Had  two  daughters,  one  of  whom, 
Ellen  L.,  married  Jas.  AV.  Connors,  Jr.,  and  the  other  married 
his  brother,  William. 

MOON,  William  H.  A  Georgian  who  settled  at  San  Diego  in 
1849.  He  was  an  elector  April  1,  1850,  and  a  member  of  the  first 
grand  .jury  in  September  of  that  year.  The  records  show  that 
he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  e.r  officio  associate  justice  of 
the  court  of  sessions,  in  1850-1.  He  was  a  ciuaint  character.  He 
died  February  3.  1859.  He  is  thr  "Scinire"  to  whom  Derby 
refere,  who 

"Goes  'round  a-walkin' 
And  sasses  all  respectable  persons 
With  his  talk  of  pills  he's  invented 
JTo  give  a  spirit  of  resentment." 

.MdRSE.  Ephraim  W.  This  sterling  pioneer  is  deserving  of 
more  space  than  the  limits  of  this  work  allow.  He  was  not  only 
one  of  the  earliest  American  settlers,  but  one  of  the  most  public 
spirited  and  active  workers  for  the  building  of  the  new  city. 

Mr.  AForse  was  born  October  16.  1828.  in  Amesbury.  Massa- 
chusetts. He  was  a  farmer  and  school  teacher  until  the  discov- 
ery of  gold  in  California,  when  he  caught  the  fever  and  joined 
a  company  formed  for  the  purpose  of  emigrating  to  the  coast. 
"This  company,"  he  said,  "was  intended  to  be.  and  was,  a  select 
company.  No  one  could  join  withcmt  ])resenting  satisfactory 
recommendations  from  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  the  mayor  of 
their  city,  or  some  prominent  preacher."  There  were  100  of 
these  associates.  With  their  joint  funds  they  bought  the  ship 
Leonore  and  freighted  her  with  such  goods  as  they  thought 
would  be  salable.  The  constitution  of  the  company  was  dated 
December  28,  1848.  and  stated  that  the  organization  was  "for 
the  purpose  of  buying  and  chartering  a  ship,  and  freighting  her 
as  the  directors  shall  see  fit.  for  the  coast  of  California,  and 
engaging  in  such  trading  and  mining  operations  as  shall  be 
deemed  most  advisable."  The  capital  stock  was  $30,000.  divided 
into  100  shares  of  $300  each.  Each  member  undertook  to  give 
his  personal  time  and  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  company, 
not  to  engage  in  speculation  on  his  own  account,  nor  to  assume 


ARRIVAL  OF  E.  W.  MORSE  281 

any  pecuniary  liahilily  williuut  the  company's  consent,  nm-  to 
engaye  in  any  i;aiiie  of  chance  or  skill  in-  which  money  might  be 
lost  or  won,  nor  to  use  any  intoxicating  li([uors  unless  pi-esci-iljed 
by  a  physician,  all  under  penalty  of  a  fine.  ]\leml)ers  were  to  be 
sustained  and  protected  in  sickness  and  interred  at  the  com- 
pany's expense  in  case  of  death.  No  stockholder  was  to  be 
allowed  or  required  to  perform  any  labor  on  the  Sabliath, 
"exce2)t  woi-ks  of  necessity  and  mere}'." 

This  company  of  highly  proper  young  men  were  chietiy  friends 
and  neighbors  of  Mr.  JMorse's.  x\mong  their  occupations  were 
the  following:  Farmei^,  teachers,  cai-penters,  clei-ks,  l)ookkeep- 
ers,  bookbinders,  masons,  seamen,  iiatters,  blacksmiths.  geoh)gists. 
sail-makers,  joiners,  stair-builders,  traders,  moulders,  brass  tin- 
ishers,  machinists,  soap-makers,  truckmen,  laborers,  curriers, 
civil  engineers,  shoemakers,  tailors,  chemists,  harness-makers, 
saddlers,  and  weavers.  (This  reminds  one  of  the  days  of  the 
Ilijar  colony.)  Before  sailing,  they  attended  a  special  religious 
service  at  Tremont  Temple,  in  P>oston,  where  the  Rev.  Edward 
Beecher  delivered  an  atldress  full  of  solemn  admonitions;  he 
seemed  to  regard  them  as  th(^  leaven  of  a  moral  i-efoi-mation.  of 
which  Califoi'nia  stood  particularl\'  in  need.  ^Ir.  .Morse's  papers 
include  a  copy  of  a  pamphlet  containing  this  address,  with  a 
list  of  the  passengers,  and  much  other  curious  information. 

The  Leonora  sailed  February  4,  1840.  and.  after  an  unevent- 
fid  voyage,  reached  San  Fi-ancisco  on  July  otli.  Here  the  ship 
and  cargo  were  sold  and  the  companj-  dispersed  to  the  mines,  on 
the  Yuba  River,  ^fr.  Morse  had  for  a  pai-tner  a  man  named 
Levi  Slack.  They  found  the  hot  weather  and  other  climatic  con- 
ditions trying,  and  after  foui"  or  five  months  returned  to  San 
Francisco  to  recuperate.  They  had  I'ead  Dana's  Two  y<ar!< 
Before  the  Mast,  and  also  met  a  man  who  had  li\-ed  in  S.m  Diego 
and  told  them  something  about  its  climate.  The  i)artners  there- 
fore concluded  to  come  to  San  Dii'uo.  and  to  lu'ing  with  them 
a  "venture,"  consisting  of  a  slock  of  goods  foi*  a  general 
store,  a  ready-framed  house,  etc.  They  came  on  the  bark  /'/v - 
moitl.  and  arrived  in  .\pril,  1850.  Liking  the  place,  they  put  up 
their  liouse  at  Davistown  and  opened  \ho\v  store.  The  building 
was  20x;;{U  feet,  with  an  u])stairs  room,  where  they  slept.  Within 
a  month  after  his  arrival,  Mr.  ]\Iorse  found  his  health  completely 
restored.  In  18")!.  he  returned  to  lUassachusetts  b}'  way  of  the 
Xicaraugua  route,  having  a  stormy  and  adviMitui'ous  ti-i]).  but 
arrived  safely.  He  married  Miss  Lydia  A.  (Jray,  of  Amesbury. 
and  while  preparing  to  return  to  Califoi'nia  with  his  wife, 
received  news  of  the  death  of  .Mi-.  Slack  and  therefore  hni-ried 
back  to  California.  alon(\  IcaviuL;'  his  wife  to  follow.  He  was 
♦»bsent  all  toucther  six  nionlhs.  ainl  returned  in  Mav.  18.')2.     ^Irs. 


282  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

Morse  came  out  with  Thomas  Whaley  and  wife,  the  following 
year. 

By  April,  1853,  the  new  town  had  begun  to  dwindle  and,  hav- 
ing an  opportunity  to  become  a  partner  with  :Slr.  Whaley  at 
Old  Town,  Mr.  ^lorse  removed  to  that  place.  They  kept  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store  in  one  of  the  adobe  buildings  on  the  plaza. 
In  1856  this  partnership  was  dissolved  and  IMorse  kept  his  store 
alone  for  three  years.  He  then  disposed  of  his  stock  and  went 
to  Palomar  to  engage  in  stock  raising  and  farming.  In  1861 
he  returned  to  San  Diego  and  again  engaged  in  business  as  a 
merchant,  in  the  old  Rose  House,  beneath  the  Herald  office,  and 
was  also  agent  for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  's  express.  In  June,  1869, 
he  sold  out  his  stock  at  Old  Town  to  Philip  Crosthwaite  and 
removed  to  Horton's  Addition,  taking  the  express  office  with  him, 
much  to  the  disgust  of  his  old  neighbors.  From  this  time  onward 
he  was  a  resident  and  active  worker  for  the  new  city. 

In  1852,  he  was  elected  and  served  as  associate  justice  of  the 
court  of  sessions.  He  also  became  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trade  and  held  the  office  twelve  years.  April  21,  1856,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  i)ractice  of  law.  In  1858-9  he  served  as  county 
treasurer,  and  again  in  1861-2-3.  In  1866-7  he  was  city  trustee, 
and  in  the  latter  year  was  instrumental  in  selling  the  city's  lands 
to  A.  E.  Horton.  He  had  shown  his  faith  in  the  new  town  by 
settling  there  upon  his  first  arrival;  and  he  now  stood  by  Hor- 
ton and  did  everything  in  his  power  to  aid  in  building  "up  the 
new  addition. 

From  the  time  of  his  removal  to  Horton's  Addition  he  began 
to  prosper  and  became  a  vital  element  in  the  life  of  the  new 
town.  In  1870  he  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  organization  of  the 
first  bank  in  San  Diego,  the  Bank  of  San  Diego,  whicli  later  was 
merged  in  the  Consolidated  National  Bank,  in  both  of  which,  as 
well  as  in  the  San  Diego  Savings  Bank,  he  was  continuously  a 
director  and  officer.  In  1871,  he  went  to  Washington  citv  to  rep- 
resent San  Diego  in  the  matter  of  its  pueblo  lands,  and  argued 
the  case  with  skill  and  ability.  In  company  with  James  M. 
Pierce  he  built  the  handsome  and  substantial  Pierce-:\Iorse  block 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  F  Streets,  and,  in  com- 
pany with  Messrs.  Whaley  and  Dalton.  the  jMorse,  Whaley  & 
Dalton  block.  At  one  time  he  was  quite  wealthy,  but  the  collapse 
of  the  great  boom  hit  him  very  hard,  and  he  never  fully 
recovered. 

He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  organization  of  the 
San  Diego  &  Gila  Railroad  and  acted  as  a  director  and  officer 
as  long  as  the  organization  continued.  He  was  also  prominently 
connected  with  all  other  railroad  projects  from  that  time  until 
his  death,  and  probably  knew  the  story  of  San  Diego's  struggle 


EPHRAIM   W.    MORSE,    THE   IDEAL   CITIZEN 

One  of  the  earliest  American  settlers  at  Old  Town  and  one  of  the  founders  of  New  San 

Diego,  who  filled  a  place  of  great  prominence  in  business,  political  and  social  life 

from  his  arrival  in  1S50  until  his  death  in  190<> 


284  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

for  railroad  facilities  better  than  any  other  man.  At  the  time 
the  representatives  of  the  Santa  Fe  came  to  San  Diego,  in  Octo- 
ber. 1879,  he  was  secretary  of  the  Citizens'  Connnittee,  charged 
Avith  the  dnty  of  fnrnishing-  the  visitors  with  information.  This 
duty  he  performed  in  a  remarkably  efficient  manner,  jn-omptly 
prodneing  everything  called  for,  and  answering  all  questions 
cleai'ly  and  accurately.  His  associates  testify  that  his  great 
knowledge  and  untiring  energy  on  this  occasion  were  among 
the  strongest  elements  contributing  to  the  l)ringing  of  the 
railroad. 

Among  other  activities,  he  was  a  member  of  the  real  estate 
firm  of  Morse,  Noell  &  Whaley  from  1880  to  1886,  and  for  about 
a  year  longer  of  the  firm  of  Morse,  Whaley  &  Dalton.  He  was 
also  connected  with  the  San  Diego  Flume  Comi)any  and  made 
a  considerable  investment  in  it.  He  was  public  administrator 
in  1876-7.  He  had  little  taste  for  office,  however,  and  only 
served  when  he  felt  it  to  be  a  duty.  One  of  his  greatest  ser- 
\aces  was  in  connection  with  the  ]mrk,  which  he  was  instru- 
mental in  having  set  aside.  With  characteristic  steadfastness, 
he  was  a  friend  of  the  park  to  the  end  and  stood  up  for  its  pres- 
ervation and  improvement,  even  when  others  weakened.  He 
was  a  truly  public  spirited  citizen,  to  whom  no  worthy  enter- 
prise or  charity  appealed  in  vain.  He  was  an  old  and  active 
Freemason  and  a  member  and  officer  of  the  first  lodge  formed 
in  San  Diego.  He  early  learned  the  Spanish  language  and  was 
regarded  as  a  friend  by  the  native  po]>ulation.  Personally  he 
was  one  of  the  most  lovable  of  men,  full  of  unaffected  kindness 
and  so  unassuming  that  his  real  worth  and  the  true  value  of 
his  services  were  often  not  appreciated.  He  passed  away  on 
Jaiumry  17,  1906,  retaining  liis  faculties  in  a  remarkable  degree 
to  the  last. 

His  first  wife  died  at  Old  Town,  in  1856.  In  1865,  while  act- 
ing as  school  trustee  (an  office  which  he  filled  for  several  terms) 
he  was  instrumental  in  bringing  here  Miss  ^Tary  C.  Walker,  of 
Manchester,  New  Hampshire,  to  teach  the  Old  Town  school.  The 
story  of  her  troubles,  and  final  resignation,  has  been  told.  On 
December  20,  1866,  ^Ir.  INIorse  and  Miss  Walker  were  married. 
By  his  first  wife,  he  had  one  son,  Edwai-d  W.  ^Forse.  who  is  a 
resident  of  ^lerrimac,  ^lass. 

NOELL,  Charles  V.  Born  in  Bedford  C(uinty,  Virginia,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1812.  Came  to  California  in  November,  1848.  He 
was  a  merchant  in  San  Francisco  until  December,  1849,  when 
he  lost  all  he  had  in  one  of  the  great  fires.  In  February,  1850. 
he  came  to  San  Diego  and  put  up  the  first  wooden  building  in 
the  ])lace.  Here  he  conducted  a  general  store,  in  partnership 
with  Judge  John  Hays,  for  eighteen  months.  In  company  with 
M.  1\I.   Sexton  and  James  Fitten.  he  bouuht  a  schooner  in   San 


NOELL'S  ENVIABLE  RECORD  285 

Francisco,  lojidcd  it  with  a  miscellaneous  carjio,  and  went  on 
a  trading-  exi)etlition  u\)  the  Gulf  of  California.  They  bought 
a  band  of  sheep  in  Sonoi-a.  shipped  tlicni  across  the  gulf,  and 
drove  them  to  San  Diego  overland.  This  was  the  first  large 
band  of  sheep  ever  brought  to  San  Diego  County.  In  1858,  he 
sold  his  interest  in  the  store  to  Judge  Hays.  The  following 
yeai-,  he  was  elected  and  sei'ved  as  assem])lyman.  He  then  went 
to  South  America  and  remained  two  or  three  years,  prosiiecting 
for  gold.  In  1870  he  came  back  to  San  Diego,  but  returned  to 
Texas  where  he  had  a  brother,  and  three  years  later  settled  in 
San  Diego  for  good. 

In  1850,  he  was  one  of  the  purchaser's  of  the  additi(Mi  known 
as  ]\Iiddletown,  and,  some  years  later,  this  ])roved  a  i)rofitable 
investment.  He  was  in  the  real  estate  business  in  partnership 
with  Morse  and  Whaley,  from  about  1880  to  188fi,  when  he 
retired.  He  was  a  public  spirited  citi/.en  and  did  nnich  to  aid 
in  the  development  of  the  city.  In  1850,  he  was  chosen  one  of 
the  first  conncilmen ;  while  serving  in  that  capacity,  he  did 
everything  in  his  power  to  prevent  the  looting  of  the  city  treas- 
ury l)y  the  ring  which  were  then  in  the  nuijoi-ity.  Finding  he 
could  accomi)lish  nothing,  he  resigned,  in  disgust.  Two  years 
later,  when  the  treasury  was  empty  and  the  town  impoverished 
by  the  folly  of  his  opponents,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  trustees  (the  city  charter  having  been  abolished). 
He  was  never  married.  He  died  December  30,  1887,  leaving  a 
valuable  estate,  and  a  richer  legacy  in  the  esteem  of  his  neigh- 
bors. On  his  monument  is  carved  the  words:  "An  Honest 
Man  is  the  Nol)lest  AVork  of  God."  He  deserves  everlasting 
remembrance  as  the  one  honest  and  fearless  man  in  San  Diego's 
first  reign  of  graft. 

NOYES,  William  IT.  Noyes  was  editor  of  the  nrraJd  on 
several  occasions  during  Ames's  temporary  absence,  ami  once 
conducted  the  paper  for  a  long  period.  He  joined  a  company 
of  volunteers  and  went  to  Arizona  with  them,  a  short  time  before 
the  rivil  War.  and  was  killed  in  a  battle  with  outlaws. 

PEXDLETOX,  George  Allan.  Born  at  Bowling  Given.  Vii-- 
ginia,  in  1823.  He'was  appointed  to  AVest  Point  in  1842.  and 
was  there  at  the  same  time  as  Grant.  Sbmiuiii,  Stoneman.  an<l 
others.  T'ave  .1.  Couts  was  also  his  classmate  lie  was  a|)ii(»inted 
first  lieuteiuint  in  the  Seventh  Regiinent.  New  York  Volunteers, 
Augiist  29,  1840.  This  was  the  famous  "Stevenson  Regiment." 
The  appointment  was  signed  by  Governor  Silas  Wright,  of  New 
York,  and  b(^ars  on  its  back  the  certificate  of  Colonel  Stevenson 
that  Pciidlcto!!  bad  taken  the  oath.  The  regiment  was  stationed 
at  T.a  Paz  moi-e  tluui  a  yeai'  and  then  came  to  California,  see- 
ing little  active  service  in  the  Alexican  War.  Lieutenant  Pen- 
dleton resinned  and  settled  at  Sonora.  Tuolunme  Conntv.  where 


286  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

he  engaged  in  business.  In  1849  he  represented  the  San  Joaquin 
district  in  the  State  Constitutional  Convention.  In  1855  he 
came  to  San  Diego  and  made  it  his  home. 

In  the  following  year  he  organized  the  San  Diego  Guards, 
was  chosen  captain,  and  remained  at  the  head  of  the  organiza- 
tion until  it  was  disbanded,  shortly  before  the  Civil  War.  In 
1857  he  was  elected  county  clerk  and  recorder  (the  two  offices 
being  combined  in  one),  and  continued  to  fill  the  position  until 
his  death,  in  1871.  He  also  held  various  other  offices,  being  at 
times  the  only  official  in  the  county. 

Captain  Pendleton  was  a  nephew  of  Colonel  J.  Bankhead 
Magruder  and  a  descendant  of  the  last  British  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  a  man  of  capacity  and  culture.  He  married, 
first,  Concepcion  B.  Estudillo,  daughter  of  Jose  Antonio  Estu- 
dillo.  He  married,  second,  Clara  F.  Flynn,  who  survives  him. 
He  died  March  3,  1871.  His  widow  is  now  the  wife  of  William 
Carson,  and  lives  in  San  Diego.  She  relates  that  during  the 
boom  times,  after  Horton  came,  Mr.  Pendleton  would  sometimes 
have  as  manv  as  400  or  500  deeds  on  hand  at  a  time,  waiting 
to  be  recorded.  She  was  his  deputy  several  years.  His  part  in 
the  convej-ance  of  the  city  lands  to  Horton  has  been  related. 
He  was  a  steadfast  friend  of  Old  Town. 

POOLE,  Charles  Henry.  Born  in  Danvers,  Mass.,  February 
5,  1835.  Entered  West  Point  but  resigned  before  completing 
course.  Engaged  in  newspaper  work  and  surveying  at  Salem 
and  Boston.  In  1853  was  appointed  assistant  to  Lieutenant 
Derby  in  the  survey  of  the  river  and  harbor  of  San  Diego.  His 
wife  came  out  with  Thomas  Whaley,  Mrs.  Morse,  and  party,  in 
1853.  He  luade  some  surveys  of  lands  on  the  desert,  and  two 
or  more  surveys  for  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Railroad  (the  first 
of  the  kind  ever  made  in  San  Diego  County).  He  was  county 
surveyor  several  terms,  and  made  an  official  survey  and  map  of 
the  San  Diego  pueblo  lands  which  is  well  known.  His  report  to 
the  Surveyor-General  is  a  most  interesting  document,  full  of  in- 
formation, to  say  nothing  of  its  humor.  He  was  a  very  bright 
man.  After  leaving  San  Diego,  he  had  a  checkered  career. 
From  the  year  1867,  he  was  located  in  Washington,  D.  C,  as 
assistant  topographer  in  the  P.  0.  Department,  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  25,  1880. 

ROBINSON,  James  W.  Judge  Robinson  was,  perhaps,  the 
only  early  settler  who  had  a  distinguished  career  before  coming 
to  San  Diego.  He  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  went  to  Texas  at  an 
early  day,  and  in  1835  was  living  in  Austin.  In  November  of 
that  year  he  was  a  member  of  a  convention  which  met  at  San 
Felipe,  and  was  by  that  body  chosen  lieutenant-governor  of 
Texas.     In  the  following  January,  as  the  result  of  a  long  quar- 


GOVERNOR  ROBINSON  287 

rel  between  Governor  Smith  and  his  council,  Smith  was  deposed 
and  Robinson  became  j^'overnor  of  Texas.  The  independence 
of  Texas  was  |)roclaimod  on  INIarch  2d  and  tlie  republic  or^'an- 
ized.  In  December,  1836,  he  was  commissioned  judj^^e  of  the 
41st  judicial  district  and  became  a  member  of  the  San  Antonio 
bar.  A  short  time  after,  Santa  Ana  had  the  whole  court 
seized  and  carried  away  prisoners,  and  confined  in  the  fortress 
of  I'erote.  In  January,  18-A3,  tiring-  of  his  imprisonment,  Rob- 
inson sent  a  letter  to  the  Mexican  president  proposing  to  use 
his  good  offices  in  the  negotiation  of  peace  between  the  two  coun- 
tries. His  offer  was  accepted  and  he  was  released  and  sent 
as  a  commissioner  from  Santa  Ana  to  the  Texan  authori- 
ties. There  was  never  any  chance  of  such  a  proposition  being 
accepted  by  the  Texans,  and  Robinson  knew  it ;  Imt  lie  li;i(l 
gained  his  object — his  liberty. 

In  1850,  Governor  Robinson  came  to  San  Diego  with  his 
wife  and  son,  and  settled.  From  the  first  he  took  a  leading  j)art 
in  ptiblic  affairs.  It  was  stated  by  ]\Ir.  Morse  that  Robinson 
and  Louis  Rose  wer(>  the  originators  of  the  San  Diego  and  Gila 
Railroad  project.  He  was  district  attorney  in  1852-3-4-5,  and 
in  the  latter  year  delivered  the  Fourth-of-July  oration  at  Old 
Town.  lie  was  school  commissioner  in  1854,  and  rendered  many 
other  important  services.  He  died  late  in  October,  1857.  ITis 
son,  "William  N.  Robinson,  was  a  cliild  when  he  came  to  San 
Diego  with  his  parents.  He  was  a  well  known  citizen  of  Jamul, 
where  he  died  October  30,  1878.  He  served  in  the  Confederate 
army.  In  1869-70  he  represented  the  county  in  the  assembly. 
Mrs.  Robinson  (his  mother)  was  for  many  yt^ars  the  oidy  Amer- 
ican woman  living  in  San  Diego. 

ROSE,  Louis.  ]Mr.  Rose's  business  undertakings  have  been 
mentioned.  He  came  to  San  Diego  in  1850.  from  Texas,  with 
Governor  Robinson  and  pai'ty.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
grand  jury,  in  1850,  city  ti-nstee  in  1853  and,  latei-,  interested 
in  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  Railroad  and  its  treasurer  from  organ- 
ization. Served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Garra  uprising.  About 
1866,  h(^  boiiuht  the  tract  known  as  "Rose's  Garden"  from 
Judii'e  Ilollister.  He  laid  out  Roseville  on  hinds  purchased  by 
him,  i)artly  from  Governor  Robinson  and  partl.v  from  the  city. 
At  one  time  he  Avas  offered  +100.000  foi-  the  townsite.  but 
refused  it,  believing  it  would  be  the  site  of  the  future  city.  He 
was  a  ]\Iason  and  one  of  the  founders  of  Lodge  No.  35.  He  was 
a  m(«t  enterju-ising  citizen  aiul  at  times  had  cmisiderable  means. 
In  June,  1883,  he  resigned  as  postmaster  at  Old  Town,  after 
having  served  nearlv  ten  years.  He  died  Febrnar\-  14.  1888. 
His  onl.v  child,  ^liss  Henrietta  Rose,  is  a  teacher  in  tlie  San 
Diego  pnblie  schools. 


288  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

SCHILLER,  Marcus.  Born  in  I^nissia,  October  2,  1819. 
Came  to  America  when  17,  and  in  1858  to  San  Francisco.  Three 
years  later,  l)i'oken  in  health  and  fortune,  he  came  to  San  l)ie<i(). 
in  1857  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Joseph  S.  Mannasse.  The 
activities  of  the  firm  of  Mannasse  &  Schiller  have  been  sketched. 

Mr.  Schiller  was  city  trustee  in  1860-1  and  1868,  and  in  the 
latter  year  aided  in  estalilisliinu-  the  park,  lie  was  sui)ei-intend- 
ent  of  "schools  in  1868-9.  Also  served  as  stockholder  and  director 
of  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  R.  R.  He  married  Miss  Rebecca  Bar- 
nett,  of  San  Francisco,  in  September,  1861,  and  left  a  family. 
He  died  March  19,  1904. 

SLOANE,  Joshua.  If  this  work  were  a  collection  of  enter- 
taining anecdotes,  instead  of  a  sober  and  veracious  history,  it 
woukl  ])e  easy  to  fill  it  with  st(n'ies  about  the  various  characters 
who  once  lived  here.  Among  them  all  there  is,  i)ei'ha})s,  none 
more  interesting  than  Joshua  Sloane.  He  was  the  butt  of  many 
jokes  and  the  "fresh"  young  newspaper  writers  of  the  early 
70 's  took  such  liberties  with  his  i)ersonality  that  it  is  difficult 
to  disentangle  him  from  their  fairy  tales.  But  enough  has  been 
gathered  from  the  records  and  from  the  recollections  of  his 
friends  to  show  that  he  was  something  more  than  merely  an 
eccentric  old  man. 

He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  of  a  good  family,  and  had 
advantages  when  young.  He  came  to  San  Diego  in  the  early 
50 's  and  earned  a  livelihood  by  various  pursuits.  At  one  time 
he  was  a  clerk  in  Morse's  store  and  later  a  deputy  in  Captain 
Pendleton's  office.  He  owned  a  wind-power  mill  near  the  old 
Mission  and  had  some  real  estate.  In  1858  he  was  deputy  post- 
master and  in  the  following  year  })ostniaster.  When  his  term 
was  about  to  expire,  the  people  of  San  Diego,  who  were  nearly 
all  opposed  to  him  in  politics,  signed  a  protest  against  his  reap- 
pointment. When  the  letter  containing  this  document  was 
deposited  in  the  postoffice,  Sloane 's  curiosity  was  aroused  by  its 
appearance  and  address,  and  he  opened  it  and  read  the  enclos- 
ure. Having  done  this,  he  coolly  cut  off  the  remonstrance, 
wrote  on  similar  paper  a  petition  for  his  own  reappointment, 
pasted  the  signatures  below  it,  and  f(n'warded  the  altered 
enclosure  in  a  new  envelope.  The  people  of  San  Diego  were  at 
a  loss  to  understand  why  their  almost  unanimous  petition  passed 
unhe(Hled,  and  it  remained  a  mystery  until  Sloane  himself  told 
the  story,  years  after. 

In  the  campaign  of  1856,  Sloane  voted  for  Fremont,  and  is 
said  to  have  been  one  of  two  or  three  in  San  Diego  who  did 
so.  In  the  campaign  of  1860  he  was  very  active,  organized  a 
Rei)ublican  club,  and  became  known  to  the  party  leaders  in  the 
East.  For  this  service  he  was  made  collector  of  the  port  in 
1861,  and  served  one  term.     A   famous  storv  about  those  days 


JOSHUA  SLOANE  AND  THE  PARK  289 

was  1(1  tlie  effect  that  he  appointed  his  do«;,  "I'ati'iek,"  deputy 
colK'cloi-.  and  cari-ied  him  on  tlie  \)ny  roll.  He  was  an  auto- 
graph eolh'clof  antl  delighted  lu  show  the  ifttrrs  he  had  received 
from  notahic  persons. 

His  greatest  service  to  San  Diego  was,  undoubtedly,  liis  work 
foi-  Ihc  park'.  II(^  was  secretary  of  the  lioard  of  trustees  id  the 
time  tlu'  (piestion  of  setting  aside  the  |)ai-k  came  up.  and  was 
one  of  the  earliest,  most  tireless,  and  most  earnest  advocates  of 
a  large  park.  One  of  his  friends  says  regarding  this:  "lie 
was  the  man  who  first  proposed  having  a  l)ig  i)ark  hei-e  and  he 
urged  it  upon  the  trustees  till  Ihey  let  him  have  his  way.  There 
were  people  here  who  wanted  it  cut  down  and  it  was  due  to 
his  efforts  that  this  was  not  done,  lie  often  said  to  me:  'They 
want  to  cut  up  the  park,  but  I'm  damned  if  Ihey  shall  ilo  it!' 
lie  stood  like  a  bulldog  over  that  bin'  i^ai'k  ;iii(k  s(mie  day,  peo- 
ple will  1)e  grateful  to  him  for  doing  so.  liis  niissioii  here  seemed 
to  be  to  save  that  park,  and  he  <lid  it." 

AVhih^  Joshua  Sloane  was  a  shy  man.  he  had  a  few  warm 
friends  who  understood  him  aiul  speak  of  him  to  this  day  with 
respect  and  affection.  There  is  no  (lou])t  that  Ik^  was  eccentric 
and  nnicli  misunderstood.  He  ilied.  immai-ried.  Jatniai'>-  fi. 
1870. 

SMITH,  .\lbei-i  U.  This  was  one  of  the  earliest  Amei'iciiii 
settlers,  coming  to  San  Dieun  bel'oi'e  tlu'  .Mexican  W.w.  He  was 
a  native  of  New  York,  liis  service  iu  the  .Mexican  War  has 
])een  described.  In  1850.  IS.IS-!)  he  was  superintendent  of 
schools.  Tie  married  Guadalui)e  ^lachado  de  Wilder,  widow 
of  Peter  Wilder  and  daughter  of  Jose  IManuel  .Machado.  They 
had  several  children:  Angelo  Smith,  born  ISol  ;  married  Sally 
J.  Burr,  widow  of  Dr.  Edwai'd  Bui-r;  they  had  five  children. 
Lives  in  the  old  Burr  place  at  Old  Town.  Mrs.  Smith  died 
recently.  Estes  G.  Smith,  married  first,  Joseph  Sehellinger:  sec- 
ond. Richard  Kerreti.  both  of  whom  are  dead.  She  lives  at  Old 
Town.  Albert  II.  Smith,  married  first,  ^lary  Pond:  they  had  five 
children;  second,  Julia  Oota,  who  liad  four  children.  Lives  in 
the  old  A.  B.  Smith  house  at  Old  Town..  :\lary  Smith,  first  wife 
of  Andrew  Cas.sidy.  Ysabel  Smith,  mani.d  O-o.  Lyons  and 
had  three  children  ;  she  is  dead. 

STEWART,  John  C.  AVas  a  shipmate^  of  Richard  Henry 
Dana  in  1834,  and  settled  at  San  Diego  in  lS:is.  Dana  speaks 
of  meeting  him  when  he  re\nsited  San  Diego,  in  1859.  He  was 
born  Sept.  -2.  1811.  and  died  l■^■b^uarv  2.  1S!)2.  He  married 
Rosa  Alachado.  daughter  of  Jose  .Manuel  .Machado:  sh.'  was  l)(»rn 
Xovend)er  15,  1828,  and  died  May  4,  18!)8.  John  C.  Stewart 
was  secoiul  nude  of  the  Alrrf.  He  was  a  pilot  and  was  called 
'•El  Pilato."    He  served  in  the  Mexican  War  and  with  the  Fit/.- 


290  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

gerald  Volunteers  in  1851.  Children:  John  B.,  married;  lives 
at  San  Bernardino ;  has  five  children.  Manuel,  unmarried,  lives 
at  Old  Town.  James,  unmarried,  lives  at  San  Diego.  Frank 
J.,  unmarried,  lives  with  Paul  Connors  at  Old  Town.  Rosa, 
unmarried.  Serafina,  married  Louis  Serrano.  Mary  N.,  mar- 
ried Paul  S.  Connors.  Susan,  married  Ben  F.  Parsons,  lives  at 
Old  Town  ;  has  three  children. 

SUTHERLAND,  Thomas  W.  Was  one  of  the  earliest,  if  not 
the  very  first,  attorney  to  make  San  Diego  his  home.  He  was 
alcalde  March  18,  1850,  on  which  date  he  signed  the  deed  to 
Davis  and  associates  for  the  new  San  Diego  tract.  He  was  the 
first  city  attorney  under  the  American  administration,  and  dis- 
trict attorney  in  1851.  He  removed  to  Sau  Francisco  in  1852. 
TIBBETTS  (or  Tebbetts),  George  P.  Was  an  elector  at  La 
Playa,  April  1,  1850.  A  member  of  the  "Reform"  council 
elected  in  1851,  and  mayor  in  1852,  being  the  last  mayor  before 
the  abolition  of  the  city's  charter.  He  was  associated  with  the 
San  Diego  &  Gila  R.  R.  from  its  inception,  and  was  its  secre- 
tary from  1854  to  1858.  He  served  as  an  ensign  in  the  Garra 
campaign,  and  in  1853  was  a  captain  of  militia  under  Kurtz. 
He  left  San  Diego  before  its  new  prosperity  began  and  settled 
at  Santa  Barbara,  where  he  was  for  many  years  the  publisher 
of  the  News. 

WALL,  Enos  A.  Born  at  Freeport,  Maine.  Was  an  elector 
at  San  Diego,  April  1,  1850.  Married  Antonia  Machado, 
daughter  of  Jose  Manuel  Machado.  He  died  in  new  San  Diego, 
January  2,  1885,  and  left  a  family,  none  of  whom  lives  here 
now.  A  daughter,  Refugia,  married  Capt.  William  Price.  He 
was  a  shipmate  of  John  C.  Stewart's,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
in  charge  of  one  of  the  old  hide  houses  when  Dana  was  at  San 
Diego  in  1836. 

WARNER,  Jonathan  T.  Better  known  as  Don  Juan  Warner, 
was  born  at  Lyme,  Connecticut,  November  20,  1807.  He 
came  to  Califoi-nia  in  1831  and  settled  at  Los  Angeles.  In 
1848  he  removed  to  what  is  known  as  Warner's  Ranch  and 
lived  there  until  1857.  His  adventures  in  the  Garra  insurrec- 
tion have  been  mentioned.  In  1836,  he  married  Anita  Gale, 
daughter  of  William  A.  Gale.  His  later  years  were  spent  in 
Los  Angeles.  He  was  San  Diego's  first  state  senator,  serving 
in  1850-1-2. 

WHALEY,  Thomas.  Mr.  Whaley  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  October  5,  1823.  He  received  a  good  education  at  AVash- 
ington  Institution,  and  then  travelled  two  years  in  Europe  with 
his  tutor,  M.  Emile  Mallet.  At  the  breaidng  out  of  the  gold 
fever  he  sailed  for  California  in  the  Sutton,— i\\e  first  ship  to 
leave  that  port  for  the  diggings,— and  reached  San  Francisco 


THOMAS  WHALEY  AND  FAMILY 


291 


July  22,  18-1:9.  In  the  summer  of  1851,  Lewis  A.  Franklin  and 
rjcoi'ue  11.  Davis  chartered  a  vessel  and  with  a  cartio  ol"  j^oods 
started  down  the  eoast  on  a  tradiiiii"  vt»\aji:e.  Mr.  Whaley  had 
an  interest  in  liiis  ventui-e,  but  i<'niained  in  San  Francisco  as 
agent.  Reaehinp;  San  Diego,  lli.y  liked  the  place  so  w<'Il  that 
they  deterniiiK^d  to  remain.  Mr.  Whaley  followed  in  Oetoher, 
and.  in   p.-irtm'fsliii)  with  Franklin,  opened  the  Ti<  »(Ui  (Jalifor- 


MR.    AND    MRS.    THOMAS   WHALEY 


nia  (California  Store).  In  the  following  A[)ril  the  Hrm  was 
dissolved  and  in  partnei-shii)  with  Jaek  llinton.  Mr.  Whaley 
bought  the  interest  of  R.  E.  Raymond  in  the  Ticnda  General 
(general  store).  This  pai-tniM-ship  contimied  a  year  and  in  that 
time  the  firm  cleared  $1S.()()() — (piite  a  sum  for  those  days.  In 
April.  1853,  llinton  retired  and  K.  W.  Moise  entered  the  firm. 
IMr.  AVhaley  went  to  New  York  and  married  Miss  Anna  E. 
Lannay,  Auiiust  14,  1853.  :\Ii-s.  Whaley  is  of  pure  French 
extraction,  being  a  descendant  of  the  De  Lannay  and  (.Jode- 
frois  families.    On  the  return  of  the  party  to  San  Diego  a  num- 


292  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

ber  of  others,  including  .Mrs.  Aloi'se  aiul  Mrs.  Poole,  (.-ame  with 
them. 

In  1856  Mr.  .AForse  retired  from  the  firm  and  Mr.  Whaley  con- 
tinued alone,  also  eniiauing  in  hrickmaking  in  Mission  Valley 
— the  first  burnt  bricks  made  in  San  Diego  County.  In  that 
year,  also,  he  erected  his  residence  and  store  building,  which  is 
still  standing  at  (^Id  Town — the  first  burnt  brick  building  on 
the  coast  south  of  San  Fi-ancisco.  In  1858  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  with  AValtei'  Ringgold,  l)ut  the  store  and 
goods  were  destroyed  by  an  incendiary  fire. 

I'pon  the  breaking  out  of  the  Garra  insurrection,  ]\Ir.  Whaley 
joined  the  Fitzgerald  Volunteers  and  served  in  the  campaign. 
In  1859  he  quitted  San  Diego  and  was  in  different  employments, 
at  San  Francisco  and  in  Alaska.  Soon  after  Horton  came,  he 
returned  from  Xew  York,  bringing  a  stock  of  goods  with  him. 
He  bought  out  ]Mr.  ]\Iorse.  Avho  removed  to  new  San  Diego,  and 
took  into  partnership  Philip  Crosthwaife.  By  February,  1870, 
it  had  become  quite  evident  that  the  new  town  would  prevail 
as  the  city  of  the  future,  and  the  firm  removed  to  Horton 's 
Addition.  The  enterprise  did  not  prosper,  however,  and  the 
connection  Avas  a  disasti'ous  one  for  ^Mr.  Whaley.  In  1873  he 
again  went  to  Xew  York  and  remained  five  years.  In  1879  he 
once  more  settled  in  San  Diego,  and  in  the  following  fall 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  with  E.  W.  ]\Iorse.  Charles 
P.  Xo(^ll  was  soon  after  admitted  to  the  firm.  In  Febi-imrv, 
1886,  :\Ir.  Xoell  sold  out  to  R.  II.  Dalton.  :\Ir.  Whaley  retired 
from  active  business  in  1888.  He  was  a  large  property  owner 
at  Old  Town,  new  San  Diego,  and  La  Playa.  He  was  "a  public 
spirited  citizen,  but  took  litth^  part  in  politics,  only  holding  the 
office  of  city  trustee  in  1885,  citv  clerk  in  1881-2,  etc.  He  died 
December  14,  1890. 

AVILDER,  Peter.  One  of  the  American  residents  in  1845. 
He  married  Guadalupe  :\Iachado.  daughter  of  Jose  ^Manuel 
Machado.  They  had  two  daughters:  Dolores,  who  was  married 
to  Dr.  David  B.  Hoffman,  and  Refugia.  who  was  the  wife  of 
Captain  Samuel  Warren  Hackett.  Wikhn-  died  and  his  widow 
was  married  a  second  time,  to  Albert  B.  Smith. 

WITIIERBY.  Oliver  S.  Judge  Wifhei-by  was  one  of  the 
most  important  men  in  the  community,  in  his  day.  as  he  is  yet 
one  of  the  best  remembered.  He  was  Ixn-n  near  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  February  19,  1815.  Received  his  education  at  the  Miami 
University,  where  he  graduated  in  1836.  Studied  law  in  Ham- 
ilton, Ohio,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  1840.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  iMexican  War.  he  was  appointed  first  lieu- 
tenant and  served  about  a  year,  when  he  was  invalided  and  dis- 
charged.    Served  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  Hamilton  County 


JUDGE  VVITHERRY  293 

<\ud  acted  as  rilitor  oi'  llu-  Hamilton  T(  h  {jnip/i.  In  l^'chniary, 
184!),  caiiie  to  San  Uie<>o  as  (luartcnnaster  and  coiniiiissary  of 
the  r.  S.  l^onndary  Commission,  i-eaeliin«r  San  Diejro  Jnne  1. 
liikini:  tlie  eonntry,  he  decided  to  remain,  and  the  peoph*  of  San 
Diego  County  elected  liim  to  represent  tliem  in  the  lii-st  assem- 
bly, at  Monterey,  in  ISoO.  He  was  ajjpointed  by  this  leuMslatnrc 
judiic  of  the  newly  created  fiiMt  district  conrt  and  served  the 
full  term  of  three  years.  Tn  IS,");}  he  was  appointed  collector 
of  cnstoms  for  San  Diego  and  adjoining  counties  and  filled  a 
tei'm  of  four  years.  Tn  1857  he  purchased  the  Escoiidido  Rancho 
and  lor  more  llian  ten  years  was  a  successful  farmer  and  stock 
raiser.  In  18()8  he  sold  his  rancli  and  removed  to  San  Diego. 
ITe  was  a  stoeklioldei-  and  director  of  the  eai-ly  banks  of  San 
Diego,  and  in  187!).  ui)on  the  consolidation  of  the  Bank  of  San 
Diego  and  the  Commercial  Rank,  he  was  chosen  president  of 
the  new  institution  and  served  several  years.  He  invested 
lai'gely  in  real  estate  and  showed  his  faith  in  the  city's  future 
at  all  times,  lie  was  pi-ominently  connected,  as  an  investor  and 
executive  officer,  with  most  of  the  important  enterprises  of  his 
day.  At  the  collapse  of  the  great  boom  and  the  subsecpient 
baid\  failnriN.  he  was  "caught  hard"  and  lost  ]u-actically  his 
whole  fortune,  although  he  had  been  rated  at  half  a  million. 
He  died  December  18,  1896. 

Besides  the  offices  mentioned,  he  served  as  ])ublic  administi-a- 
tor  from  1860  to  1867.  He  was  also  intimately  coiuiected  with 
the  San  Diego  &  Oila  R.  R.,  and  was  its  [^resident  in  18r>8  and 
for  .some  years  after.  Judg(»  AVitherby  was  a  genial  and  pop- 
ular man. 

WRICIITIXOTOX.  Thcmias.  AVith  the  possible  exception  of 
Henr\'  D.  Fitch,  Thomas  AVi-iehtini:tou  was  the  first  ,\merican 
settler  in  San  Diego.  He  came  with  Abel  Stearns,  on  the 
Aijucudio,  in  1833,  and  settled,  while  Stearns  went  on  up  tlie 
coast.  AVrightington  was  supercargo  of  the  vessel.  He  was 
from  Fall  River.  ^Mass.,  Avas  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  had  a 
good  education.  He  ajipliinl  for  naturalization  in  183.")  and  got 
provisional  papers  in  1838.  He  sei-ved  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
Mexican  AVar.  He  held  several  minor  offices,  both  undei-  the 
AFexican  and  American  govennneuts.  IJaiiei-oft  spells  his  naiui' 
Ridiugton,  which   is  eri'oneous. 

He  mai-ried  Juana  Alachado  de  .\lipas.  widow  of  Daniasi«) 
Alipas  and  daughter  of  Jose  Alanuel  .Machad<».  Their  children 
wei-e  Jose.  Sei-afiua.  and  T^uis.  Jose  was  sent  to  Boston  with 
the  intention  that  he  should  be  adopted  and  brought  up  by  an 
nude;  but,  havim:  taken  offense  at  a  colored  footman  in  his 
uncle's  hous(\  he  went  off  to  sea  on  his  own  account.  He  wa.s 
a   whaler  all   his   life  and   mari-ied  a   Chilean   woman.     Serafina 


294  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

was  married  to  John  Mintiirn.     Luis  was  killed  by  a  horse,  at 
San  Juan. 

Mrs.  Wrightington  was  a  widow  several  years,  and  a  well 
remembered  character  of  Old  Town.  She  was  a  mother  to  all 
the  unfortunates  around  the  Bay.  She  spent  her  last  days  with 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Israel,  at  Coronado. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  JOURNALISM   OF  OLD  SAN   DIEGO 

1 1 K  first  paper  pnl)lished  in  the  city  of  Sau 
Diego  was  the  San  Diego  Herald.  The  ini- 
tial nuinlx'i-  ai)ppared  on  May  29,  1851,  only 
twelve  days  after  the  first  publication  of  La 
Estrclla  de  Los  Angeles  (The  Star  of  Los 
xVngeles).  In  September  of  the  preceding 
year  a  small  sheet  called  the  San  Luis  Bey 
Coyote  had  been  issued  liy  some  armj^  ofilicers 
stationed  at  that  mission,  purporting  to  be  edited  by  one  C. 
Senior  (Si  Seiior).  It  was  a  comic  journal  neatly  Avritten,  and 
contained  a  map  and  some  useful  information ;  but  it  was  not 
in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word  a  newspaper,  and  only  one 
number  was  pul)lished.  It  is  not  known  how  many  copies  were 
issued. 

The  Herald  was  at  first  a  four-])age  four-column  i)apei\  pub- 
lished every  Thursday.  The  subscription  price  was  $10  per 
annum,  and  the  advertising  rates  Avere:  8  lines  or  less.  $4  for 
the  first  insertion  and  $2  for  each  subsequent  insertion  ;  busi- 
ness cards  at  monthly  rates  and  a  discount  offered  to  yearly 
advej-tisers.  The  reading  matter  in  the  first  number,  including 
a  list  of  320  letters  which  had  accumulated  in  the  San  Diego 
postoffice,  filled  five  and  three-fourths  columns.  The  local  adver- 
tisements made  two  cohunns,  and  tho.se  of  San  Francisco  adver- 
tisers eight  and  one-fourth  columns.  The  paper  contained  qnito 
a  little  local  news  and  was  well  set  up  and  printed. 

The  editor  and  proprietor  of  this  paper  was  John  Judson 
Ames,  lie  was  born  in  Calais,  IMainc.  ^Fay  18,  1821,  and  was 
therefore  a  few  days  past  his  thirtieth  birthday  when  he  set- 
tled in  San  Diego.  He  was  a  tall,  stout,  broad-shouldered  man, 
six  feet  six  and  one-half  inches  high,  proportionately  built,  and 
of  great  physical  strenulh.  His  father  \v;is  a  shipltuiider  and 
owner.  Early  in  the  40 's  ycmng  Ames's  father  sent  him  as 
second  mate  of  one  of  his  ships  on  a  voyage  to  Liverpool.  T^i>on 
his  return,  while  the  vessel  was  being  mooret]  to  the  wharf  at 
Boston,  a  gang  of  roueh  sailoi-  boai-dine-housi'  imhukmn  rushed 
on  board  to  get  the  cn-w  away.  Ames  i-i'monstrati^d  with  them, 
saying  if  they  would  w.iit  until  the  ship  was  made  fast  and 
••leaned  u]>.  the  men  miLiht  uo  wliere  they  jileased.     The  run- 


296  HISTORY  OF  SAN   DIEGO 

iiers  were  insolent,  however,  a  quarrel  ensnecl,  and  one  of  the 
intruders  finally  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  chest.  Ames  retal- 
iated with  what  he  meant  for  a  light  blow,  merely  straighten- 
ing out  his  arm,  but,  to  his  horror,  his  adversary  fell  dead  at 
his  feet.  He  was  immediately  arrested,  tried  for  manslaughter, 
convicted,  and  sentenced  to  a  long  term  in  the  Leverett  Street 
Jail.  The  roughs  had  sworn  hard  against  him,  but  President 
John  Tyler  understood  the  true  facts  in  the  case,  and  at  once 
pardoned  him.  After  this,  he  was  sent  to  school  to  complete 
his  education.  A  few  years  later,  being  of  a  literary  turn,  he 
engaged  in  newspaper  work,  and  in  1848  went  to  Baton  Rouge, 
Louisiana,  and  started  a  paper  which  he  called  the  Dime 
Catcher,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the  Whig  party,  in  general, 
and  of  (Teueral  Zachary  Taylor's  candidacy  for  the  presidency, 
in  particular. 

After  the  discovery  of  gold,  he  joined  the  stream  of  immi- 
grants and  came  to  California  via  Panama,  arriving  at  San 
Francisco  Octolier  28,  1849,  without  a  penny  in  his  pockets. 
Borrowing  a  handcart,  he  engaged  in  the  business  of  hauling 
trunks  and  luggage.  He  ahvays  kept  as  a  pocket-piece  the  first 
quarter  of  a  dollar  he  earned  in  this  way.  His  financial  con- 
dition soon  improved  and  he  formed  a  number  of  valuable 
friendships,  especially  among  his  Masonic  brethren  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  was  present  at  the  first  meeting  of  any  Masonic  lodge 
in  California,  that  of  California  Lodge  (now  Xo.  1)  ;  on  Novem- 
ber 17.  1849.  On  the  following  9th  of  December  he  became  a 
memlier  of  this  lodge,  presenting  his  demit  from  St.  Croix 
Lodge  No.  40,  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Maine.  He  also  became  interested 
in  newspaper  work,  writing  under  the  pen  name  of  "Boston." 

The  question  naturally  occurs  at  this  point :  What  was  it 
which  induced  a  man  thus  situated  to  leave  these  friends  and 
settle  in  a  little  town  of  five  or  six  hundred  inhabitants? 
Ames's  own  writings  may  be  searched  for  the  answer,  in  vain. 
It  is  scarcely  suf^cient  to  suppose  that  it  was  due  to  his  desire 
for  independent  employment,  for  at  that  time  the  region  could 
not  support  a  paper  w-hich  would  pay  its  publisher  r.  living. 
The  matter  has  excited  wonder  in  other  quarters.  Thus,  a 
M'riter  in  the  Sacramento  ZJnion  says : 

A  number  of  young  but  well-defined  interests  called  for  the 
publication  of  an  organ  in  this  end  of  the  -Western  American 
seaboard,  though  San  Diego  at  that  early  day,  no  less  than  in 
later  times,  offered  very  little  encouragement  of  the  quality  of 
local  support  to  a  newspaper.  Any  person  who  was  willing  to 
accept  the  chances  of  an  easy  living,  and  endure  the  dull  routine 
of  a  little  out  of  the  way  place,  holding  on  for  advantages  that 
must  certainly  come  by  and  by,  miglit  publish  a  newspaper  in 
San  Diego  successfully;   and  such  a  person  seems  to  have  been 


DESIGNS  OF  SENATOR  GWIN  297 

I'ouiid    ill    ilic    eoiuliiit(/r   (if    the    iiryaii    at    that    |ilaco.      To    him 
belongs  the  movit  of  cstablisliing  the  press  on  that  lonely  shore. 

The  answer  to  this  (lucstioii  rests  npon  tlio  tostiniony  of  liv- 
ing iiKMi.  to  whom  Ames  (.lise'h)sed  it  in  coiitick'net',  and  is  strik- 
ingly cuiiliiiiied  by  the  whole  ])oliey  of  the  Herald.  Ames  eslah- 
lislifd  IIk  III  mid  as  tJir  organ  of  United  States  Senator  William 
M.  Oirin.  who  expected  to  bring  about  tJie  elivi.'iion  of  tlit  state, 
tli(  (inni  xalion  of  Lotiu  r  ('(difornla  and  tJie  Sandicic/i  Islands, 
and  IJie  construction  of  a  SoiiI/k  rn  Iranscontinevtal  railicaij  ter- 
ininating  at  San  Diego.  This,  of  eovirse,  Avould  have  made  San 
T^ieiio  tlie  eai)ital  of  the  new  state,  and  iivohahly  tlie  most  im- 
poi'lant  city  on  the  l*aeitie  eoasl.  Thai  (Jwin  had  llic  i»nr|>oses 
meiilioned,  and  that  the  lirst  t  I'aiisciml  ineiilal  railway  project 
was  for  a  line  on  the  32nd  pai'allel  ;ind  intended  as  an  ontlet 
for  the  Southern  states,  ai-e  liislorieal  faets  too  well  known  to 
re((nire  proof.  From  the  lii'sl.  the  ll< ndd  vijioronsly  snppni-ted 
Senator  Gwin's  policies,  the  ])ro.iect  of  state  division,  and  the 
Sonthern  transcontinental  railway.  .Moreover,  the  surprisingly 
large  volume  of  Saji  Fi-aneisco  advin-tiscMuents  in  the  TTeredd 
can  scareel^"  ])e  aeeounted  foi-  on  any  theoi-y  except  that  the 
paper  was  subsidized  hy  means  n\  llicse  advert iscinciils.  Tt  is 
scarcely  reasonable  to  suppose  that  tliife  was  l)nsiness  enough 
here  to  justify  San  Fi'aneiseo  mei'diaiits  in  using  more  than 
half  of  Ames's  spaee  for  theii-  advert  isemenls.  at  the  start,  and 
to  keep  this  up  for  years.  As  a  matter  of  faet.  .\mes  took  only 
a  slight  part  in  the  public  life  of  San  Diego,  and  spent  all  the 
time  he  possibly  could  in  San  Francisco.  Owin  faileil  in  all 
these  schemes,  although  he  sei'ved  as  senatcu-  from  California 
two  full  tei-ms  from  18-4-r)  to  18^0.  ||r  also  failed  to  keep  his 
promises  to  Ames,  and  the  editor's  end.  hrok-en  in  health,  for- 
tune, and  ambition,  was  truly  a  sad  one.  i^ut  this  is  antici- 
patiui:';  at  th(>  ])reseut  jioint  in  our  stoi-y.  our  editor  is  youuLr. 
strong,  and    I'lill  of  hope. 

In  getting  his  jiaper  established  at  San  Diego,  he  had  to  over- 
come obstacles  which,  as  he  himself  sa\s.  "would  have  disht\-irt- 
ened  an_\  but  a  'live  Yankee."  ""  jjc  issui'd  a  ])rospectus  in 
Occendiei'.  1850,  and  took'  subscription  and  advertising  con- 
ti-aets  on  the  strength  of  it.  Had  his  jilans  |)i-ospered.  the 
TTindd  would  have  been  the  fii-st  ncnvspaper  pi-inted  south  of 
^Fonterey;  but  delays  aiid  difficulties  followed.  He  says  in  his 
first  number: 

We  is.suerl  mir  prospectus  in  Hcceinhfr  last,  and  sni)posed  at 
the  time  that  wo  hail  secured  the  material  for  our  paper;  hut 
when  we  come  to  jmt  our  liand  on  it,  il  inisn'f  there!  Deter- 
mined to  lose  no  time,  we  took  tlie  first  boat  for  Xew  Orleans, 
wliere    we   selected    our   office,    and    had    returned    as    far   as   the 


298  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Isthmus,  when  Dame  Misfortune  gave  us  another  kick,  snagged 
our  boat,  and  sunk  everything  in  the  Chagres  Eiver.  After  fish- 
ing a  day  or  two  we  got  enough  to  get  out  a  paper,  and  pushed 
on  for  Gorgona,  letting  the  balance  go  to  Davy  Jones'  Locker. 
Then  comes  the  tug  of  war,  in  getting  our  press  and  heavy 
boxes  of  type  across  the  Isthmus.  Three  weeks  of  anxiety  and 
toil  prostrated  us  with  the  Panama  fever  by  which  we  missed 
our  passage  in  the  regular  mail  steamer — the  only  boat  that 
touched  at  San  Diego — thereby  obliging  us  to  go  on  board  a 
propeller  bound  for  San  Francisco.  This  boat  sprung  a  leak 
off  the  Gulf  of  Tehauntepec — came  near  sinking — run  on  a  sand- 
bank— and  finally  got  into  Acapulco  where  she  was  detained  a 
week  in  repairing.  We  at  last  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  just 
in  time  to  lose  more  of  our  material  by  the  late  fire. 

Some  side  lights  are  thrown  upon  his  adventures,  by  the  way, 
by  those  to  whom  he  related  them  more  in  detail.  On  arriving 
at  Chagres,  he  found  much  difficulty  in  getting  his  outfit  trans- 
ported across  the  Isthmus.  The  only  means  of  conveyance  was 
by  barges  or  canoes  iip  the  Chagres  River  to  the  head  of  nav- 
igation at  Gorgona  or  Cruces,  and  thence  on  the  backs  of  mules 
to  Panama.  He  engaged  a  bungo  with  a  crew  of  native  boat- 
men and  started  up  the  river.  When  the  boat  was  snagged,  the 
standard  of  the  press,  a  casting  weighing  about  four  hundred 
pounds,  was  part  of  the  sunken  material  and,  although  the  river 
was  shallow,  the  boatmen  were  unable  to  lift  it  up  on  the  boat 
again.  Aftei'  watching  their  futile  efforts  for  half  a  day,  Ames 
lost  his  patience  completely  and,  jumping  overboard  in  a  frenzy 
and  scattering  the  boatmen  right  and  left,  he  seized  the  press 
and  placed  it  upon  the  boat,  himself.  Arriving  at  Cruces,  he 
experienced  great  difficulty  in  getting  his  goods  transported  by 
mules,  and  had  to  pay  exorbitant  prices.  When  he  reached 
Panama,  he  was  compelled  by  the  attack  of  fever  to  remain 
some  time,  along  with  a  number  of  California  immigrants  wait- 
ing for  a  steamer.  During  this  time  of  waiting,  he  set  up  his 
plant  and  published  a  paper  called  the  Panama  Herald,  half  in 
English  and  half  in  Spanish. 

It  would  seem  that  a  man  of  so  much  strength  and  tenacity 
of  purpose  was  of  the  sort  to  make  a  success  of  his  newspaper 
venture  at  San  Diego;  and,  indeed,  though  the  HeraJfl  was 
somewhat  erratic,  it  never  lacked  in  vigor. 

Ames  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  new  town  (Graytown,  or  Davis's 
Folly),  which  was  then  just  starting.  He  had  met  William 
Heath  Davis  before  coming,  and  the  latter  aided  him  to  the 
extent  of  almost  $1,000  in  getting  his  press  set  up — a  debt  which 
was  never  discharged.  The  office  of  the  Herald  was  over  the 
store  of  Hooper  &  Co.,  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  California 
Streets.  About  two  years  later,  when  the  new  town  had  proven 
a  temporary  failure,  the  Herald  was  removed  to  Old  Town,  and 


TRIPS  OF  EDITOR  AMES  299 

for  the  greater  part  of  its  life  occupied  the  second  floor  of  a 
buildins'  owned  by  Louis  Rose,  at  the  nortliwest  corner  of  the 
plaza. 

Ames's  frequent  trips  to  San  Francisco,  doubtless  made  for 
the  purpose  of  looking  after  his  political  fences  as  well  as  his 
advertising  patronage,  began  soon  after  his  settlement  in  San 
Diego.  It  has  been  suggested  that  his  readers,  as  well  as  him- 
self, needed  an  occasional  rest.  Having  no  partner,  it  was  his 
custom  to  leave  the  paper  in  charge  of  his  foreman  or  some 
friend  whom  he  could  induce  to  undertake  the  burden.  This 
course  led  to  trouble  on  more  than  one  occasion.  It  was  quite 
the  usual  thing  for  an  issue  or  two  to  be  skipped  at  such  a  time. 
While  he  was  away  on  these  and  other  trips,  it  was  Ames's  cus- 
tom to  write  long  letters  to  the  Herald,  which  he  signed  "Bos- 
ton," and  hehce  he  became  locally  known  as  ''Boston." 

His  fii*st  trip  to  San  Francisco  seems  to  have  been  on  Octo- 
ber 30,  1851.  when  he  left  his  foreman,  R.  M.  Winants,  in 
charge  of  the  ])aper,  "with  a  good  ])air  of  scissors  and  a  vast 
pile  of  exchanges." 

On  January  24-,  1852.  he  went  to  San  Francisco  again,  leav- 
ing "the  amiable  trio,  Yaurian  &  Co.,"  to  occupy  the  editorial 
chair.  Yaurian  was  the  pen  name  .of  a  contributor  to  the 
TlcraJd,  whose  identity  is  unknown. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1852,  Aiiun  left  for  the  Atlan- 
tic States,  and  did  not  return  until  the  following  INTarch.  He 
left  the  keys  of  his  office  with  Judge  James  W.  Robinson,  but 
in  December  a  man  named  "William  N.  Walton  came  to  San 
Diego  and.  representing  to  Judge  Robinson  that  he  had 
arranged  with  Ames  in  San  Fraiicisco  to  pnblisli  the  paper, 
was  alloAved  to  take  possession.  He  proceeded  to  publish  the 
paper  in  his  own  name  from  December  4  until  Ames's  return, 
]\Iarch  19-21.  1853,  when  he  suddenly  disappeared.  The  only 
allusion  Ames  made  to  this  afPnir  upon  bis  i-otnrn  wn^  tin's : 

During  our  absence  in  the  Atlantic  States,  last  winter,  a 
friend  to  wlioTn  we  loaned  the  keys  of  our  office  allowed  a 
usurper  to  enter  there,  who  made  such  sad  havoc  with  our 
working  tools,  to  say  nothing  of  the  injury  done  to  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  Herald,  that  it  will  take  some  time  yet  to  get  things 
established   on   the   old   basis. 

Six  years  later  this  Walton  was  arrested  in  Portland.  Oregon, 
on  a  charge  of  robbery,  and  the  Hrnild,  in  commenting  on  this, 
says  that  at  the  time  of  the  AValton  episode  he  had  closed  the 
office  "for  the  season." 

The  Herald  of  August  13,  1853.  contained  the  following 
announcement : 


300  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

We  shall  leave  cm  the  first  steamer  for  San  Francisco,  to  be 
absent  about  two  weeks.  A  friend  of  acknowledged  ability 
and  literary  acquirements  will  occupy  the  Old  Arm  Chair 
during   our   absence. 

This  was  the  i)r«4ude  to  the  most  amusing  scrape  that 'Ames's 
absences  h-d  him  into,  as  it  was  the  occasion  wlieii  Lieutenant 
Derl)y  edited  the  Herald  for  six  weeks  (instead  of  two)  and 
changed  its  i)olitics.  as  rehated  farther  on.  Anu^s  seems  to  have 
learned  something  from  this  experience,  for  upon  starting  again 
for  San  Francisco.  al)out  December  3rd.  of  the  same  year,  leav- 
ing one  "Borax"  in  charge,  he  gave  the  editor  pro  ietn.  of  the 
paper  "strict  injunctions  not  t(t  change  its  i^olitics.''  as  Derby 
had  done. 

In  April,  1855,  Ames  went  East  again.  It  is  said  this  trip 
was  made  on  public  business,  but  nothing  has  come  to  light  to 
show  what  the  pu])lic  business  was.  Ames  himself  states  that 
he  was  present  at  the  eonvention  of  the  American  ( Knownoth- 
ing)  party,  in  Philadelphia,  when  Fillmore  was  nominated  for 
president.  It  is  a  matter  of  record  that  he  brought  out  PIioc- 
nixknm  at  this  time,  and  it  is  also  understood  that  he  married 
and  brought  his  wife  to  San  Diego  with  him  upon  his  return, 
some  time  the  following  spring. 

During  this  prolonged*  absence,  Ames  left  Wm.  H.  Noyes  in 
charge  of  the  paper,  who  took  good  care  of  it,  not  only  at  this 
time,  but  also  on  several  subsequent  occasions  when  Ames  went 
to  San  Francisco.  In  April,  1857,  when  about  to  depart  on 
such  a  trip,  Ames  left  the  following  savage  attack  upon  certain 
officials  for  insertion  h\  the  next  issue: 

Malfeasance  in  Office:  .  .  .  We  have  for  a  long  time 
been  aware  of  the  utter  unfitness  of  our  County  Clerk  and  Ee- 
corder  for  the  position  which  he  occupies.  .  .  .  It  is  well 
known  that  this  County  is  deeply  in  debt,  but  it  is  not  so  well 
known  that  the  greatest  portion  of  this  debt  has  gone  into  the 
hands  of  county  officers.  .  .  .  The  salary  of  the  County 
Judge  of  this  county  is  fixed  by  law  at  .$1000  and  yet  for  a 
long  time  Mr.  Couts,  the  County  Auditor,  has  been  issuing 
scrip  to  him  at  the  rate  of  .tl200  per  annum. 

He  then  goes  on  to  say  that  a  party  had  a  bill  against  the 
county,  of  long  standing,  v.hich  after  some  troubh^  lie  got  ap- 
proved, and  demaiuled  the  issuance  of  scrip  to  him  jirsi,  so  that 
it  would  be  the  first  paid  when  the  county  had  any  money.  He 
charges  that  Couts  ]iromised  to  do  this  but  evaded  it  and  issued 
scrip  clandestinely  to  his  friends  ahead  of  it. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  there  are  not  other  offices  in  the 
county  to  which  he  (Couts)  could  be  elected  or  appointed,  as  he 
at  present  only  fills  the  following:  County  Clerk,  County  Re- 
corder,  County   Auditor,   Clerk   of   the   Court   of   Sessions,  Clerk 


SOME  EDITORIAL  APOLOGIES 


301 


of  the  First  District  Court,  Clerk  of  tiie  Board  of  Supervisors 
and  Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Equalization;  the  income  of  which 
offices  is  greater  than  that   of  any  otlier  ofTicer  in  tlie  county. 

This  looks  as  though  Gilbert  had  been  reading'  the  San  Diego 
Herald  when  he  drew  his  character  of  Pooh  Pah,  in  the  opera 
of  the  Mikado.  In  the  next  issiu^  of  the  fh  raid  Noyes  repudi- 
ates this  blast  and  "wishes  it  (list iiicllx-  niiderstood  that  it  owes 
its  paternity  to  the  regnlar  editor." 

The  issne  of  ]May  ;^0,  \H'u,  contains  an  apology  for  its  lean- 
ness in  the  matter  of  news,  "the  editoi'  being  absent  in   San 


WILLIAM   H.    NOYES 


Francisco,  the  snb-cditor  gone  into  the  coniitrx.  and.  to  crown 
all,  the  'devir  having  sloped,  leavin.g  us  'alone  in  onr  glory,' 
with  an  overabundance  of  lal)or  to  i)erf()rin.  aiul  a  dearth  of 
local  news." 

It  is  probable  that  on  account  of  his  relations  with  Senator 
Gwin,  Ames  had  free  steamer  transportation  during  the  first 
two  or  three  years  of  the  JL  raid's  life.  Derby  seems  to  liave 
had  some  such  thought  in  his  miiul  when  writing  this: 

"Facilis  desce)is}is  Ar(riii.  which  mav  l)e  libei-ally  translated: 


302  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

It  is  easy  to  go  to  San  Francisco.    Ames  has  gone." 

During  the  last  year  or  two  of  the  Herald's  publication  in 
San  Diego  it  was  not  so  "easj^"  for  the  paper  severely  criti- 
cises the  Holliday  steamship  line,  complains  of  its  poor  service 
and  high  fares,  "which  prevent  the  editor  from  going  to  San 
Francisco  on  pressing  business,"  indicating,  possibly,  that  the 
free  pass  had  been  called  in. 

The  political  complexion  of  the  paper  was  changed  several 
times.  The  first  issue  announced  it  to  be  "Independent  in  all 
things,  neutral  in  nothing,"  but  soon  afterward  it  supported 
Bigler  for  governor,  and  the  full  Democratic  ticket  nominated 
by  the  Benicia  convention.  But  Ames  was  independent  enough 
to  kick  over  all  party  traces  when  he  felt  like  it.  He  opposed 
President  Pierce  and  severely  criticised  him  at  times ;  one  rea- 
son for  this  doubtless  being  the  fact  that  Pierce  had  vetoed  a 
bill  appropriating  money  for  the  improvement  of  the  San 
Diego  River.  In  April,  1855.  he  hoisted  the  name  of  General 
Sam  Houston  for  president.  In  May,  1856,  he  came  out  for 
Fillmore  and  Donelson  for  president  and  vice-president,  and 
went  over  completely  to  the  Knownothing  party,  substituting 
for  his  original  motto  the  following :  ' '  Thoroughly  American 
in  principle,  sentiment  and  effort."  This  bolt  to  the  Know- 
nothing  party  appears  not  to  have  produced  any  results.  The 
town  and  county  were  Democratic  up  to  the  time  that  Horton 
came,  and  for  some  little  time  thereafter.  When  the  Know- 
nothing  movement  died  out  Ames  returned  to  the  Democratic 
fold.  In  1857  his  motto  was  changed  to:  "Devoted  to  the 
interest  of  Southern  California." 

It  is  clear  that  Ames  suppressed  many  things  which  he 
thought  might  hurt  the  reputation  of  the  town.  The  trouble 
with  the  San  Francisco  volunteers,  following  the  Garra  insur- 
rection, is  scarcely  mentioned  in  the  Herald.  Again,  while 
Ames  was  away  on  one  of  his  trips,  the  editor  i)ro  tern,  thought 
proper  to  write  up  and  condemn  certain  disorders.  Some  of 
the  citizens  protested  against  this  publicity  in  a  letter  in  which 
they  declared  it  was  contrary  to  Ames's  policy  to  have  such 
items  appear.  It  may  be  inferred  from  this  that  much  inter- 
esting historical  material  has  been  lost,  on  account  of  this  pol- 
icy of  suppression — a  policy  which  is  not  yet  extinct. 

The  many  difficulties  under  which  the  paper  struggled  would 
make  an  interesting  story  could  Ames  himself  tell  it.  There 
was  no  telegraph,  no  telephone,  no  railroad  in  those  days,  and 
for  news  of  the  outside  world  he  was  dependent  upon  a  semi- 
monthly mail  service  by  steamer,  which  service  was  poor  and 
irregular.  He  seems  to  have  depended  for  his  exchanges  almost 
entirely  upon  the  pursers  of  the  steamers  calling  at  this  port. 


THE  PASSING  OF  AMES  303 

In  almost  ever\'  issue  of  the  pai)er  he  acknowledges  the  receipt 
of  bundles  of  papers,  or  growls  al)out  the  neglect  of  those  who 
should  deliver  mail  and  do  not.  After  the  transcontinental 
stage  line  was  opened  to  the  East  (August  31,  1857)  matters 
went  somewhat  better. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1855  the  Herald  ran  for  some  time  a 
list  of  all  the  postoffices  in  California  and  at  all  times  it  was 
found  necessary  to  fill  up  with  miscellaneous  matter. 

Another  source  of  trouble  was  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  sup- 
plies of  print  paper,  and  several  issues  were  printed  on  com- 
mon brown  wrapping  paper,  for  the  reason  that  the  paper 
ordered  had.  through  some  neglect  or  lilunder  at  San  Francisco, 
not  arrived. 

The  failure  of  Gwin's  schemes  had  a  very  depressing  effect 
upon  Ames,  whose  hopes  and  expectations  had  been  very  high, 
and  other  causes  tended  to  discourage  him.  His  wife  died 
]\Jarch  14.  1857.  and  not  long  after  unknown  parties  mutilated 
and  destroyed  the  monument  at  her  grave.  On  Octol)er  of  this 
year,  while  he  was  absent  in  San  Francisco,  a  gale  blew  down 
and  completely  demolished  his  house  at  Old  Town,  known  as 
"Cosy  Cottage."  These  things  saddened  and  embittered  him 
and.  already  somewhat  given  to  indulgence  in  liquor,  he  became 
dissipated  and  broken  in  health.  Tie  married  again,  about  1858 
or  1859.  Soon  after  this,  Brigham  Young  ordered  the  IMormons 
living  at  San  Bernardino  to  come  to  Salt  Lake  to  aid  him  in 
resisting  the  T'^nited  States  troops  under  Albert  Sydney  John- 
ston, and  most  of  them  sold  out  in  haste  for  whatever  they  could 
get.  The  influx  of  Americans  who  bought  them  out,  together 
witli  the  discovery  of  gold  in  TTolcomb  Valley,  made  San  Ber- 
nardino quite  lively  and  Ames  determined  to  remove  his  paper 
to  that  i)lace.  The  last  number  of  the  San  Diego  Ilrrald  was 
issued  April  7,  1860.  and  then  Mr.  Harvey  C.  Ladd,  a  Mormon 
who  had  been  a  resident  of  San  Diego,  hauled  the  outfit  to  San 
Bernardino,  and  Ames  began  the  publication  of  the  San  Brr- 
nardhio  Hrrald.  The  new  paper  did  not  prosper,  however,  and 
in  a  short  time  he  sold  out  to  Major  Edwin  A.  Sherman.  Ames's 
end  was  now  near,  and  he  died  on  the  28th  dav  of  July,  18fil. 
He  had  one  son,  called  Huddie,  born  in  San  Diego,  November 
19.  1859,  and  died  in  San  Bernardino  March  27,  1863.  His 
widow  married  again,  and  she  is  now  also  deceased. 

The  pi'css  which  was  used  in  pi'inliiiu  the  ."^mi  Dicffo  ffrraJd 
was  an  old-fashioned  Washington  hand  press,  nuide  by  H.  Hoe 
&  Co.,  New  York,  and  inimbered  2327.  It  is  still  in  use.  in  Inde- 
pendence. Inyo  County,  where  it  iirints  the  Tiii/o  I)id(  pi  )idt  iif. 
After  using  it  for  a  time  to  publish  the  San  Bovvardino  Pnfriof. 
at  the  ])(>uinning  of  the   Civil   War.    Major  Sherman   employed 


304  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Mr.  Ladd  to  haul  it  across  the  mountains  to  Aurora,  then  in 
California.  l)nt  now  in  Nevada,  where  in  ^lay,  1862,  he  com- 
menced the  pTd)lication  of  the  Esmeralda  Star.  Three  years 
later  he  sold  the  outfit  to  other  parties,  and  it  was  later  taken 
to  Independence.  It  should  be  brousht  to  San  Diefj'o  to  form 
the  nucleus  of  an  historical  collection.  There  may  be  a  few 
scattered  numbers  of  the  TleraJd  in  the  hands  of  old  residents, 
but  the  only  collection  known  is  that  in  the  San  Diego  public 
library.  A  few  numbers  are  missing,  but  it  is  almost  complete. 
The  preservation  of  this  invalnal)le  file  is  due  to  the  care  of 
Mr.  E.  W.  Morse. 

In  estimating-  the  character  and  achievements  of  John  Jud- 
son  Ames,  there  are  some  things  to  condemn,  but,  on  the  whole, 
much  to  praise.  He  was  large-hearted,  gt^nerous,  and  enterpris- 
ing. For  that  time,  his  education  was  good  and  he  wrote  with 
clearness  and  fiuency.  He  had  opinions  of  his  own  and  was  not 
backward  about  expressing  them.  In  speaking  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Abolitionists,  he  refers  to  them  as  ''such  men  as  Garrison 
and  Sunnier,  who  are  distracting  the  country  with  their  treason- 
able and  fanatical  preachings."  Like  other  journalists,  he 
found  it  impossible  to  i)lease  all  the  people  all  the  time,  and 
there  was  frecpiently  local  dissatisfaction  with  liis  utterances. 
June  10,  1852,  he  published  a  letter,  signed  ])y  nine  residents 
and  business  men  of  San  Diego,  discontinuing  their  subscriptions. 
and  made  sarcastic  comments  on  it;  and  a  few  months  later  he 
says:  "There  are  several  individuals  in  this  city  who  don't  like 
the  Herald.    We  don't  care  a  damn  whether  they  like  it  or  not." 

On  another  occasion  he  broke  out  thus : 

liifioJence. — There  is  a  mau  in  this  town,  holding  a  public  po- 
sition, who  lias  got  to  using  his  tongue  pretty  freely  of  late, 
and  but  that  we  esteem  him  beneath  the  notice  of  responsible 
citizens,  w^e  have  been  half  inclined,  on  several  occasions,  to 
knock  him  down  and  give  him  a  good  sound  thrashing.  If  we 
thought  the  better  portion  of  the  community  would  justify  us, 
and  the  District  Attorney  would  not  bear  down  too  hard  upon 
us  for  a  fine,  we  would  try  what  gonrl  a  little  pummeling  would 
do  an  insolent  official. 

It  is  probal)le  that  Ames's  immense  size  kept  him  out  of  trou- 
ble, as  no  one  cared  to  tackle  him.  There  is  no  record  of  his  hav- 
ing been  engaged  in  a  duel,  or  in  any  personal  combat,  except 
the  mythical  one  with  Lieutenant  Derby,  but  an  item  in  the 
Herald  of  August  18,  1853,  shows  that  he  was  a  v;duable  peace 
ofificei-  and  sonu'thing  of  a  sprinter  as  well. 

Indian  Boirs. — There  is  scarcely  a  day  passes  that  there 
is  not  some  fight  among  the  Indians  about  town,  in  which  one 
or  more  is  cut  or  otherwise  mutilated — and  all  through  the  di- 
rect influence  of  whiskey  or  some  other  intoxicating  drink  sold 


THE  ADVENT  OF  DERBY  305 

to  thrill  l)v  < '.•ilifoniiaiis  or  A  nigricans.  ...  A  mw  occurri'd 
last  Huiulay  night  in  wliich  sonic  fiftocn  or  twenty  (Irunkoii  In- 
dians participated,  some  of  whom  jrot  badly  beaten  or  cut  witii 
knives.  Sheriff  Conway  called  upon  a  nunilx'r  of  citizens  about 
12  o'clock  to  go  and  arrest  these  distiirliers  of  the  peace.  Tliev 
succeeded  in  capturing  eleven  of  the  Irilie,  who  were  arraigned 
the  next  day  before  Justice  Franklin.  One  was  fined  $1(»  and 
sentenced  to  ten  days  imprisoninent,  another  to  receive  2." 
lashes  each  for  two  offences;  and  two  were  fined  .$.")  and  costs. 
On  arresting  the  last  "batch"  tlie  ringleader  was  j)ut  in  charge 
of  Judge  Ames,  to  convey  to  the  "lock-u]). "  They  had  ad- 
vanced but  a  few  rods  from  the  rest  of  the  ])arty  wlien  the 
Indian  made  a  sudden  sjiring  from  his  leviathan  escort  and 
made  tra(d<s  towards  the  river.  The  .Judge  commanded  him  to 
stop,  but  he  ke])t  on,  and  was  fired  at  twicf — tiie  last  ball  tak- 
ing a  scratch  .-it  his  side  just  under  tlie  left  arm.  IFaviiig  iiu 
more  shots,  legs  were  put  into  re(piisition,  and  then  came  the 
tug  of  war.  The  Indian  held  his  own  for  about  fifty  yards, 
when  the  Judge  began  to  gain  on  him,  and  when  he  had  got 
Avithin  striking  distance,  that  jioiiderous  arm  of  liis  came  down 
twice  with  a  "slung  shot,""  breaking  the  Indian's  right  arm 
and  his  left  collar  bone.  whi(di  brought  him  to  the  ground, 
when   he   was   secured   and   taken   to   the   (•(ihihoose. 

Soon  after  this  occurrence,  Ames  advertised  i'ov  llic  rctiifii  of 
a  sword  cane.  It  also  appears  tliat  he  liad  some  (lifficiilty  with 
]\Iajor  Justus  ^IcKinstry,  which  mutual  frieiuls  thoiiohi  il  nec- 
essary to  ai-raii^'e  before  Ames's  departui'e  for  the  East,  in  .\|iril, 
1853,  and  •!.  K.  (Jitchell  published  a  card  slalini;-  that  a  n-eon- 
eiliation  had  been  effected.  It  is  cleai-  that,  notwithstandini:-  his 
g'iji'antic  size,  our  first  editor  was  not  ^dtoo■ctll('r  a  man  of  peace. 
It  is  also  a  fact  that  he  was  vei-y  remiss  in  the  payment  of  his 
debts.  That  lie  had  cncinics  in  S;in  Diei^n  and  \ieini1y  is  shown 
by  the  fact  thai  lie  lidd  luit  one  cleclive  ot'liee.  and  that 
a  minor  one. 

Ijientcnant  (Icoi-uc  11.  Derby  made  S.m  Dieiid  Ins  hdine  Tor 
about  two  years,  from  1853  to  1855.  and  left  tidiind  liini  nu'in- 
ories  which  the  i)eople  of  San  Die^'o  cliefish  to  this  day.  This, 
not  merely  because  the  sceiu^  of  so  many  of  the  fiiiniy  things  in 
Phocni.riana  is  laid  here,  but  (piite  as  much  on  account  of  his 
lovable  personality.  It  may  be  a.s.sumed  thai  the  ivader  is  famil- 
iar with  that  delectable  book  and  it  will  therefore  not  be  jti-ofit- 
able  to  re|)roduce  any  considerable  part  of  it  :  but  it  is  believed 
that  somethino'  ;ibout  Derby's  life  and  persimalil  \ ,  \vilh  a  few 
selections  of  loejd  interest  from  I'lmi  uixidiin  and  (>llie|-s  iVuni  the 
old  Jhrahl  liles  not  so  familial'  In  the  puMie,  will  prove  of 
interest. 

Oeoi'ji'e  Horatio  Dei'hy  w;is  huni  in  Dedliam.  .Massachusetts. 
April.  3.  1823.  He  attended  school  in  Concord  and  is  remem- 
bered by  Semitt)!"  Hoar,  who  says  in  his  A  iihihidjitd/i/i n  that 
Derb\-  was  vi'i'v  fond  of  small  bovs.     Afterward  he  tended  store 


306  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

in  L'oiieoi'cl,  but  failed  to  [ilcase  his  ciiiplox cf.  '"wIki  was  a 
siiiisi"  and  avaricious  person."  During'  the  pr()j)iMftoi'*s  \veel<ly 
absences  in  l^oston,  Derl)v  would  stretch  hiinselt'  out  on  the 
counter  and  read  novels,  and  at  such  times  did  not  like  to  be 
disturl)ed  to  wait  on  customers  and  was  (piite  likely  to  tell  them 
the  goods  they  wanted  were  out.  lie  afterward  entered  West 
Point  and  graduated  with  distinction,  in  184(1.  lie  served 
through  the  Mexican  War.  was  wouiuh^d  at  Cim-i-o  (iordo.  and 
was  made  a  first  lieutenant. 

In  April,  1849,  he  arrived  in  California  on  l)oard  the  Iowa, 
with  General  Bennett  Riley  and  a  part  of  the  Second  Infantry 
Regiinent.  He  was  emph)yed  on  different  tours  of  duty  in  the 
Topographical  Corps,  nntil  July,  1858,  when  he  was  detailed 
to  superintend  the  turning  of  the  San  Diego  River  to  make  it 
debonch  into  False  Bay.  His  description  of  the  voyage  down 
and  of  the  appearance  of  the  town  of  San  Diego  at  that  period, 
in  Phoenixiana,  are  among  the  funniest  things  he  ever  wrote. 
He  m<-t  Judge  Ames,  and  has  this  to  say  about  him:  "I  fell 
in  <-onversation  with  Judge  Ames,  the  talented,  good-hearted, 
but  eccentric  editor  of  the  Han  Diego  Herald.  ...  I  found 
'the  Judge'  exceedingly  agreeable,  urbane  and  well  informed, 
and  obtained  from  him  nnich  valuable  information  regarding 
San  Diego."  Ames  appears  to  have  proposed  to  Derby  almost 
immediately  to  take  charge  of  his  paper  for  two  weeks,  while 
he  made  one  of  his  frequent  trips  to  San  Francisco.  Ames  and 
Derl)y  had  probably  met  in  San  Francisco.  At  least,  it  is  quite 
certain  they  were  acquainted,  for  Derby  had  been  in  San  Diego 
during  the  preceding  April,  on  business  connected  with  the 
worlc  on  the  I'iver.  and  at  that  time  visited  the  iNIasonic  Lodge, 
of  which  order  they  were  both  members.  He  was  undoubtedly 
well  acquainted  with  Derby's  reputation  as  a  writer,  as  his 
sketches  had  appeared  in  the  San  Francisco  papers  over  the  pen 
names  of  "John  Phoenix"  and  "S(|uibob."  Derby  readily  fell 
in  with  the  ]U'oposal,  doubtless  foreseeing  opportunities  for  no 
end  of  fun.     The  situation  is  developed  thus  in  the  Heralel: 

In  his  issu(^  of  August  13th.  Ames  said  : 

Our  ^Ih.soiec. — We  shall  leave  on  the  first  steamer  for  San 
Francisco,  to  be  absent  about  two  weeks.  A  friend  of  acknowl- 
edged ability  and  literary  acquirements,  vciM  occupy  the  "old 
arm   chair''   durinjj  our   absence. 

D''i-by  writes,  in  his  letter  to  a  San  Francisco  paper: 

Lo,  I  am  an  editor!  Hasn't  Ames  gone  to  San  Francisco 
(with  this  very  letter  in  his  pocket),  leaving  a  notice  in  his 
last  edition,  "that  during  his  absence  an  able  literary  friend 
will  assume  his  position  as  editor  of  the  Hfrald,"  and  am  I 
not  that  able  literary  friend?  (Heaven  save  the  mark).  "You'd 


GOING  BACK  ON  BIGLER  307 

bettor  believe  it."  I've  b(  en  writing  a  "leader"  and  fiinnv 
anecdotes  all  day  .  .  .  .-md  siifh  ;i  "leader"  and  such  anec- 
dotes. I'll  send  you  llic  |i.ipri-  next  week,  and  if  yon  don't  al- 
low that  there's  been  no  sucli  publical  ion.  weeklv  or  serial, 
since  the  days  of  the  "Hnnkutn  Fkujstufl-'  I'll  crawfish,  and 
take   to  reading  .lolinson  "s    Did  ioiiar}-. 

Jii   the   /I<i(il<l  lie  made  the   rollowiiio'  a'liioiiiieeiiieiit : 

Next  week,  with  the  Divine  assistance,  a  new  hand  will  be 
applied  to  the  bellows  of  this  establishment,  and  an  intenselv 
interesting  issue  will  possibly  be  the  result.  Tlie  paper  wiii 
be  published  on  Wednesday  evening;  and,  to  avoid  i-onfusion, 
the  erowd  will  jdease  form  in  the  [ilaza,  ])assing  four  abreast 
by  the  City  Hall  and  Herald  office,  from  the  galleiy  of  which 
Johnny  will  hand  them  their  papers.  '  •  A'  iilnrlhiis'  uiiiim,"  or 
"A    won!    to    tlic    wise    is    Jtasianic'  ■ 

Ames  neglected  to  ask  what  I)ei"by's  polities  woro.  or  to  give 
iiistriietions  respeetiny  the  policy  of  llie  paper  diu'iii.o-  his 
absence.  The  result  was  disastrous,  lor  Derby  immediately 
changed  its  politics  from  Democratic  to  Whig.  The  mingling 
of  fun  and  seriousness  in  liis  political  leaders  of  this  time  is 
inimitable,  lie  sometimes  mixed  up  the  1\vo  uulx-ciiatorial  can- 
didates. Waldo  and  P>iol,.i-,  fcferrino'  1o  iheiii  as  ''Baldo  and 
Wigler."  or  "  Wagler  and   HiUh)." 

"Old  Higler."  he  declares,  "hasn't  ])aid  the  peo])]e  of  this 
county  anything  for  sui)port iiig  liim  ( though  jndging  h\  the 
tone  of  the  Tinh  pi  mh  hI  I'nss.  he  has  been  libei-al  enoug-h 
above).  We  think  t  hcrerorc  thc>-  will  do  pivcisrly  as  if  In-  hail. 
—  vote  for  a  Ix'tlcr  man."" 

Again  : 

Frank,    our     accomplislicd     comiiositoi-,     who     belongs     to     the 
fighting   wing   of    the    T^nterrificd    Democracy,    "groans    in    spirit 
and  is  troubled,"  as  he  sets  up  our  hcrct  ic;il  doctrines  and  npin 
ions.      He    says    "tlu^    Wliigs    will    l,c    deiiglitrd    with    the    jiaper 
this  week." 

We  hope  so.  \Ve  know  several  respectable  gentlemen  who  are 
Whigs,  and  feel  anxious  to  delight  them,  as  w(dl  as  our  Demo- 
cratic friends  (of  whose  ap])rovai  we  are  confident),  and  all 
other  sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  always  excepting  Higlerites 
and  Abolitionists.  .\h!  sighs  the  unfortunate  Frank,  but  what 
u-iJl  Mr.  Ames  say  when  he  gets  back?  Haven't  the  slightest 
idea;  we  shall  probably  ascertain  by  reading  the  first  TTrrnhl 
imblished  after  his  return,  ileanwhile,  we  devoutlv  hojie  thar 
event  will  not  t.ake  |)la('e  before  we've  had  a  (diain-e  to  givi- 
Mr.  Bigler  one  hlizzard  on  the  subjects  of  "Water-front  ex- 
tension," and  "State  Printing."'  We  understand  these  schenu  s 
fully,  and  are  inclined  to  enlighten  the  jiublic  of  San  Diego  wit), 
regard  to  them.  .\h!  Bigler.  my  boy,  old  is  .T.  B.  but  cuniiinf:. 
sir.  and  devilish  .-li/.  Phoenix  is  after  you,  and  you'd  better 
]u-ay   for  the   return   of  the   editor  dr  facto  to   San    Diego,   while 


308  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

yet   there    is   time,   or   you're   a    riniur.   ns   far   as   this   county   is 
conceriu'd. 

On  September  17th,  Derby  says  that  Ames  had  i)romised  to 
write  to  the  Herald  regularly.  "We  present  to  our  readers 
this  week  the  only  communication  we  have  received  from  him 
for  publication,  since  his  departure.  It  contains  the  speeches 
of  William  Waldo,  advocating  his  own  election ;  the  remarks 
made  by  the  .Judge  himself  before  the  Railroad  meeting,  in 
favor  of  San  Diego  as  the  Western  terminus;  and  the  political 
principles  in  full  of  John  Bigler.  Apart  from  these  matters  of 
interest,  it  nuiy  be  considered  in  some  respects  a  model  commu- 
nication, for  it  contains  no  personal  allusions  whatever,  nor 
anything  that  could  cause  a  blush  on  the  cheek  of  the  most  mod- 
est maiden,  or  wound  the  feelings  of  the  most  sensitive  or  fas- 
tidious. As  a  general  thing,  it  ma\-  l)e  considered  the  most 
entirely  unexceptionable  article  the  worthy  Judge  ever  com- 
posed.    Here  it  is : 

''Letter  from  J.  J.  Ames,  Esq.,  for  the  ^Saii  Diego  Herald." 

(A  blank  space.) 

But  although  Ames  was  strangel\-  silent  fen*  a  time,  he  did 
write  Derl)y,  at  last,  protesting  against  his  policy.  This  letter 
was  not  received,  however,  until  after  the  election,  and  remem- 
bering' this  fact  it  is  interesting  to  note  how  Derby  treated  it: 

We  have  received  by  the  GoJiah,  an  affecting  letter  from 
Judge  Ames,  beseeching  ns  to  return  to  the  fold  of  Democracy 
from  which  lie  is  inclined  to  intimate  we  have  been  straying. 
Is  it  possible  that  we  have  been  laboring  under  a  delusion — 
and  that  Waldo  is  a  Whig!  W"hy!  lor!  How  singular!  But  anx- 
ious to  atone  for  our  past  errors,  willing  to  please  the  taste 
of  the  Editor,  and  above  all,  ever  solicitous  to  be  on  the  strong 
side,  we  gladly  abjure  our  former  opinions,  embrace  Democracy 
with  ardor,  slap  her  on  the  back,  declare  ourselves  in  favor 
of  erecting  a  statue  of  Andrew  Jackson  in  the  Plaza,  and  to 
prove  our  sincerity,  run  today  at  the  head  of  our  columns,  a 
Democratic  ticket  for  1855,  which  we  hope  will  please  the 
most  fastidious.  Being  rather  hard  up  for  the  principles  for 
our  political  faith,  we  have  commenced  the  stndy  of  the  back 
numbers  of  the  Democratic  Herieic,  and  finding  therein  that 
"Democracy  is  the  supremacii  of  man  over  Ms  accidents."  we 
hereby  express  our  contempt  for  a  man  with  a  sprained  ankle, 
and  nnmitigated  scorn  for  anybody  who  may  be  kicked  by  a 
mule  or  a  woman.  That's  Democratic,  ain't  it?  Oh,  we  un- 
derstand these  things — Bless  your  soul,  .Tudgc,  we're  a  Demo- 
crat. 

The  ticket  which  he  "ran  u])"  was  as  follows: 

Democratic    State    Xoniinations. 
Sul)ject    to    the    Decision    of    the    State    Democratic    Conven- 
tion, May,   1855.     For  Governor,   John  Bigler.     For  Lieutenant- 
Governor,    Sanniel    Purdv. 


COMMENTS  ON  ELECTION  309 

C'oiieeniiiiit  llic   Whi-i'  lit-kcl  lie  says: 

The  "Pliocnix  Ticket"  f/eiieraUy,  appears  to  give  general 
satisfact  inn.  It  was  merely  |)ut  forward  suggestively,  and  not 
being  tlw  iisnh  of  a  clique  or  convention,  the  pul)lic  are  at 
perfect  IHm  rly  to  make  siicii  alterations  or  erasures  as  tliey 
may  think  projier.  I  hope  it  may  meet  with  a  strong  sup- 
port on  the  day  of  election;  l)ut  should  it  meet  with  defeat,  I 
shall  endeavor  to  boar  the  inevitable  mortification  that  nuist 
result  with   my  usual  equanimity. 

Like  unto  the  great  Napoleon  after  the  battle  of  W'jtler- 
loo,  or  the  magnanimous  Boggs  after  his  defeat,  in  the  guber- 
natorial campaign  of  Missouri,  1  sliall  fold  my  arms  with  tran- 
(|uillity.  and  say  either  "C'est  fini,"  or  "  0/(  sliair,  7  Iniow'd  it!" 

The  Wliig  ticket  earriecl  the  e(iiiii1y.  hnl  the  1  )ciii(ici-ats  ear- 
ried  the  state.  His  comments  uixm  the  result  of  llir  election 
are  interesting: 

Ncics  of  ilte  Week. — We  )niblish  this  week  the  gratifying 
intelligence,  sohre  la  izquicrda  (over  the  left),  of  the  trium- 
phant re-election  of  John  Bigler  to  the  chief  magistracy  of 
this  commonwealth.  The  voice  of  the  Democracy  has  been 
heard,  pealing  in  thunder  tones  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  State,  waking  the  echoes  on  Mokelumne  Hill, 
growling  in  sub-bass  from  the  San  Joaquin  (licinihlicdn),  re- 
verberating among  the  busy  and  crowded  streets  of  Monterey, 
and  re-echoed  from  the  snow-capped  summits  of  San  Bernar- 
dino, with  extensive  shouts  of  Extension  and  John  Bigler  for- 
ever! While  we  of  San  Diego,  through  tlie  culpable  negligence 
of  the  Golioh  (which  put  the  Voice  aboard  but  left  it  at 
San  Pedro),  have  gone  on  unhearing  and  unheeding  and  voted 
for  William  Waldo,  just  as  if  nothing  extraordinary  was  taking 
place.  ]\Iany  reasons  are  assigned  by  the  Independent  Press 
of  San  l-'raucisco,  and  our  Whig  exchanges,  for  the  election 
of  Bigler.  \  am  inclined  to  attribute  it  principally  to  tlie  de- 
feat of  Waldo,  and  the  fact  that  the  .SV//(  Diego  Heridd  took 
no  active  part  in  the  Gubernatorial  election.  Had  Waldo  been 
successful,  or  our  course  been  of  another  character,  there  is 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  the  result  would  have  been  differ- 
ent. But  "whatever  is,  is  right,"  as  the  old  gentleman  sweet- 
ly remarked,  when  he  chop])cd  off  the  end  of  his  nose  with  a 
razor,  in  an  endeavor  to  kill  a  fly  that  had  lit  thereon  while  he 
was  shaving.  "There  is  a  Providence  that  shapes  our  ends 
rough — hew  them  as  we  may."  Governor  Bigler  is  still 
Governor  Bigler,  there'll  be  no  K.r.  to  his  name  (unless  it  be 
ex-tension)  for  tlie  next  two  years;  th.o  [)eople  are  satisfied,  he 
is  gratified,  and  I  am  delighted,  and  the  Lord  knows  that  it 
makes  very  little  difference  to  me  individually,  or  the  people 
of  this  county  at  large,  whether  the  water  front  of  San  Fran- 
cisco renmins  unaltered,  or  is  extended  to  Contra  Costa.  San 
Diego  boasts  a  far  finer  harbor  at  present  than  her  wealthier 
rival,  and  when  that  of  the  latter  is  entirely  filled  \\y>,  it  will 
be  more  generally  known  and  ajipreciated.  "It's  an  ill  wind 
that  blows  nobody  any  good."  If  this  election  should,  how- 
ever indirectly,  cause  San  Diego  to  assume  its  jiroper  position 
as    the    first    commercial    citv    of    California.    T    shall    reverence 


310  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  uanie  of  John  Biglcr  forever,  and  I  will  Ijestow  that  hon- 
ored appellation  upon  my  j'oungest  child,  and  have  it  engraved 
upon  a  piece  of  leather  or  other  suitable  material,  and  sus- 
pended about  that  tender  infant's  neck,  until  such  time  as  he 
shall  be  old  enough  to  learn  and  love  tlie  virtues  of  his  hon- 
ored Godsire. 

Derby  never  wrote  fiiiything'  more  delicious  than  his  aeeonnt 
of  the  combat  (which  did  )iot  occur)  ])etween  himself  and  Ames 
upon  the  latter 's  return,  when  "we  held  'the  Judti'e'  down  over 
the  press  by  our  nose  (which  we  had  inserted  between  his  teeth 
for  that  purpose),"  until  "we  discovered  that  we  had  been 
laboring  under  a  'misunderstanding,'  and  through  the  amicable 
intervention  of  the  pressman,  who  thrust  a  roller  between  our 
faces  (which  gave  the  Avhole  aft'air  a  very  dilferent  complexion), 
the  matter  was  finally  adjusted  on  the  most  friendly  terms." 
The  people  of  San  Diego  took  the  change  of  politics  of  the 
Herald  rather  seriously,  greatly  to  Derliy's  delight.  One  old 
gentleman,  still  living,  admits  that  he  hurried  to  the  II <  raid 
office  and  paid  a  year's  subscription  in  the  belief  that  the  change 
was  genuine.  There  was  quite  a  little  speculation  as  to  "what 
Ames  would  do  to  Derby  when  he  got  back,"  and  Derby  played 
upon  this  apprehension  and  purposely  let  it  lie  understood  that 
he  was  awaiting  Ames's  return  in  trembling  terror.  Thus, 
he  says : 

Though  this  is  but  my  second  bow  to  a  San  Diego  audience, 
I  presume  it  to  be  my  last  appearance  and  valedictory,  for 
the  editor  will  doubtless  arrive  before  another  week  elapses, 
the  gun  will  be  reiuoved  from  my  trembling  grasp,  and  the 
Herald  will  resume  its  great  aims,  and  heavy  firing,  and  T  hope 
will  discharge  its  debt  to  the  ])ublic  with  accuracy,  and  pre- 
cision. Meanwhile  "The  Lord  be  witli  you.''  ''Be  virtuous 
and   you    will    ho   ha])]>y. " 

The  friendly  relations  between  Ames  and  Derby  were  never 
broken,  and  the  combat  which  Derb.\-  describes  was  purely 
imaginaiy.  The  editoi-  was  a  very  large  man,  and  had  a  rep- 
utation as  a  fire  eater,  while  the  lieutenant  was  small,  and  such 
a  combat  would  have  been  a  very  unef|ual  affair.  Ames's  own 
comments,  in  the  first  number  after  liis  rcliii'ii,  show  that,  if 
he  did  not  entirely  relish  the  joke,  lie  reconciled  himself  to 
bear  it : 

Tnrncd  Up  Afiain!  Here  we  are  again!  Phoeni.x  has  played 
the  "devil"  (biring  our  absence,  but  he  has  done  it  in  such  a 
gociil  imuiorc  il  iiiaiiiiri-.  that  we  have  not  a  w'ord  to  say.  He 
has  done  things  which  he  ought  not  to  have  done,  and  has  left 
undone  things  which  he  ought  to  have  done;  but  as  what  evil 
he  lias  done  cannot  be  undone,  we  mav  as  well  "  drv  up" 
and   "let  it  slide." 


PUBLICATION  OF  "PHOENIXIANA"  311 

III'  li;is  ;(liusc(|  (';i|it;nii  Wriylit.  ami  like  Daviij  of  scripture 
iiK'iiiorv,  ho  luis  killcil  off  tlic  (ioliah.  Ilo  lias  almsr>(l  our  nol^lo 
friend,  Oovcrnor  BioJiT,  hut  as  the  ])eoplo  in  this  rcfjioii  cou- 
sidercd  it  only  a  faint  echo  of  tlie  Independent  (?)  Press  of  San 
Francisco,  it  had  a  contrary  effect  from  that  intcinled,  ami 
we  are  i>erfectly  satisfied  witli  tlie  result.  Xot  withstanding 
the  great  hue-and-cry  tlirougliout  tiio  State,  that  (lov.  Big- 
ler  was  tlie  father  of  tlio  "  Kxtension  Sclienie, "  iind  every 
iinaginal)le  outrage  against  the  rights  of  the  ]>eople,  and  that 
hired  emissaries  were  sent  down  liere  from  San  {•''rancisco,  to 
stir  U|i  discord  in  the  ranks  of  the  Democracy,  Waldo  got  but 
about  thirty  majority  in  the  couiitx-  -and  these  \()tes  were 
all  cast  ill  one  ])recinci.  Well,  it  "s  all  over,  ]iigler  is  Oov- 
enior,  and  the  country   is  safe  for  llie  next   two  years,  at  least. 

The  files  of  the  11  ( raid  liivc  iiicoiit  rovcrl  ililc  lu'dnf  of  the 
friendship  which  eoiitinued  1o  exist  Ixdweeii  Ihese  two  men,  so 
lonu'  as  they  l)oth  lived.  In  IS.").").  Ames  compiled  I'lnnnisiana 
and  snperintended  its  pnhlication.  This  was  dune  ajj^ainst 
Derby's  jndgment.  he  apparently  thinkiii<^-  Ihe  niattei-  too 
ephemeral  for  snch  a  settinu'.  It  is  possiiile  that  Ik^  also  doul)ted 
Ames's  competency,  and  il"  so.  he  was  jnstified.  I'oi'  a  more  slop- 
\)\\y  o-otten-iip  liook  has  seldom  l)een  issued.  .XotwilhstandiiiL'" 
this,  the  naive  liumor  and  extinisile  drollei-y  willi  which  it 
abounds  made  it  a  success  and  toibiy  it  is  a  classic.  It  was  with 
considerable  pride  that  Ames  ainiouiieed.  in  IS.")!),  thai  he  li.id 
re-eno'aged'  the  services  of  ■'•lohn  IMioenix"  1o  wciti'  Tor  the 
Ilmild  exclusively. 

The  fun  which  Decln  had  while  coiidiielinL;  the  Ihnild.  aside 
from  the  famous  political  houlevrrst  in(  iil .  has  i-eceived  too  lit- 
tle attention.  In  his  first  number,  he  added  to  the  editorial  col- 
umn, under  the  name  of  Ames:  "'Sliohtly  assisted  by  Phoenix." 
lie  had  fun  with  ex-Governor  .Mid  )(MiL;al,  who  chanced  to  visit 
the  city: 

Dhtinijiiislii  il  I'isitors. —  His  ex-l']xc(llem\-,  Ihe  lion.  .John 
^tcDougal,  and  Col.  .7.  I>.  Wells,  fiom  San  Francisco,  have  ar- 
rived among  us  on  Inisiness,  wliicdi  will  detain  them  until 
the  arrival  of  the  ne.xt  steamer  (as  tiny  li.ivc  no  other  means 
of  getting  away). 

The  tiovernor  looks  .as  hale,  hcarl_\'  and  roseate  as  ever- 
don't  think  Bigler  stands  nmcli  chance  of  election,  and  wouldn't 
be  quite  inconsolable  if  he  sJionld  be  d.cfeiitod.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  a  theological  and  polemical  controversy  with  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Reynolds  since  his  arrival,  in  wliiidi  they  have  had 
it  "Nip  and  Tuck."  the  Gov.  taking  an  occasional  "Nip" 
to  clear  his  mind  and  fortify  his  spirits  as  ••I'l-i.-ir  Tiudv  " ' 
would  get  a  little  advantage  in  the  argument.  .\t  tlieir  last 
sitting,  the  discussion  turned  ui>on  tin'  '"nivinity  of  the  Scrip- 
tures," and  was  closed  by  a  remark  of  the  Governor's,  "that 
the  Bible    (like   his   adversary's   nose),  was   a    good   de;il   mid." 

Governor  ^Icl^digal  goes  to  the  i'laya  today  to  w:iit  for  tlie 
Xfirfhrnirr     to     take     him     to     S.an      I'rancisco.      The     (iov.     ex- 


312  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

))resses  himself  imifh  gratified  with  liis  visit;  and  we  are  ])leased 
tu  hear  that  it  is  his  intentiou  to  purchase  an  elegant  man- 
sion lately  erected  at  New  Town,  bring  his  family  here  in  the 
spring,  and  make  San  Diego  his  permanent  residence.  He  will 
devote  himself  to  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  will  lie  a 
most    valuable   acquisition   to    our  bar. 

The  Herald  having  received  a  letter  from  the  resident  phy- 
sician of  the  Stockton  Insane  Asylnni,  asking  for  a  copy  of  the 
paper,  Derby  says  he  will  send  it,  and  anxiously  in([uires 
whether  two  could  not  be  used?  He  also  asks  whether  the  idea 
of  sending  for  the  Ilcnild.  was  the  doctor's  or  the  patient's; 
and  if  the  latter,  "they're  sensible  to  the  last,"  "there's 
method  in  their  madness,"  and  "they  ought  immediately  to  be 
discharged,  everv  mother's  son  of  them." 

Derby  was  fond  of  San  Francisco,  and  his  wi'itinus  abimnd 
with  allusions  to  it.  This  remai'k  may  aid  somewluit  in  the 
appreciation  of  the  following: 

'Jlie  Press  of  San  Fnmcisco. — The  steamer  of  the  1st  from  San 
Prancisco  brought  no  papers,  none  whatever — Some  three  or 
four  weeks  since,  two  little  papers,  called,  we  believe,  the  "Alia 
California"  and  the  ''Herald,"  were  pul)lished  regularly  in 
that  village,  and  we  used  occasionally  to  receive  them.  They 
were  made  [irincipally  of  excerpts  from  the  Han  Diego  Herald, 
and  we  cannot  but  regret  that  the  failure  of  the  GoUnh,  and 
the  uncertainty  of  the  mails,  preventing  our  pajter  reaching 
them  with  its  customary  regularity,  should  have  caused  tiuir 
publication  to  be  discontinued. 

San  Francisco  is  a  place  of  little  business  or  importance,  liut 
in  a  large  city  like  this,  country  intelligence  is  occasionally 
amusing,  and  should  eitlier  of  the  above  i)apers  be  republished 
or  a  new  jjress  started  in  San  Francisco,  we  shall  be  willing  to 
exchange.  We  are  just  informed  that  two  little  political  sheets 
called  the  "Commercial  Advertiser,"  and  tiu^  "  Vlaeer  Times  and 
Transcript,''  are  occasionally  published  yet  in  San  Francisco. 
Ah,  we  dare  say;  we  have  never  seen  them,  however.  Willing 
to  encourage  tlie  humble  efforts  of  any  individuals  if  exerted 
in  a  ]iroper  direction,  we  shall  not  object  to  an  exchange  with 
either  of  these  little  affairs,  if  they  think  projier  to  request  it. 

Whil(^  the  work  on  the  San  Diego  River  was  progressing,  he 
allowed  himself  the  luxury  of  a  few  jibes  about  it.  Upon  his 
arrival,  he  wrote: 

Here  I  saw  Lieut.  Derby  |  himself],  of  tlii'  To]togra}ih- 
ical  ?]ngineers,  an  elderly  gentleman  of  emaciated  appearance 
and  serious  east  of  features.  Constant  study  and  unremitting  at- 
tention to  his  laborious  duties  have  reduced  him  almost  to  a 
skeleton,  but  there  are  not  wanting  those  who  say  that  an  un- 
requited attachment  in  his  earlier  days  is  the  cause  of  his 
careworn    appearance. 

lie  was  sent  out  from  Washington  some  months  since  "to 
dam   the   San   Diego   Eiver, '"   and   he  informed   me   with   a   deep 


TURNING  THE  RIVER 


313 


si^li    anil   iiiclaiic  hilly   smile,   that    he    had   doiic    it    (mc>ntjill\')    8CV- 
(M'ai    1  iiiics    si  nee    his    a  iri  \a  1. 

A  litllc  ];i1cr  lie  noted  llial:  "The  !-c|i(i!'t  lluit  l>iciit.  I)rrln- 
has  sent  to  !*>ciii  I^'fjiiicisco  for  ;i  hit  he.  to  he  iis(hI  in  tiiriiiny  the 
^^all  DicLi'o  Ri\('l-  is.  we  iiii(l<'l'st;iii(l.  clitifcly  witlioiit    l'oiiii(];i1  ion. " 

Tlio  Indians  at  woik  on  tlio  river  lieli.iNc  well  and  sliovel 
Avith  groat  ardor  con  ainorc.  Tlicro  are  at  ])rosoiit  47  of  tliein 
at  ^vorlv,  and  .10  more  are  expected  early  in  tlie  week.  They 
are  xnider  the  control  of  Mr.  Conroy  and  Cliarles  Gage,  over- 
seers,  and    Iheir   own    (diiofs.   Mannelito   and   ohl   Tonias.      Tents 


LIEUTENANT   GEORGE    11.    UEKBY 

Author  of  "Phoenixiana"  whose  fame  as  a  humorist  has  endured   and   seems 
likely  to  grow  with  the  years 


have  been  ])itfhcd  for  tlieni,  and  with  an  unlimited  sup|)ly  of 
beans,  and  the  flesli  of  bulls  (a  burnt  offering  they  do  not  des- 
pise), they  are  as  happy  as  circumstances  will  admit,  an^l  "doing 
as   w(dl   as  coiilil   bo   ox|iectoil. ' ' 

The  shanty  occupied  by  the  workmi'ii  on  the  San  Diego 
River  has  l)con  christened  "The  Phoenix  Hotel."  out  of  com- 
pliment   to   the   brevet    editor  of   the   San   Diri/o   IlrntJd. 


314  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

One  more  (iiiotatiun  from  liis  wi'ilitius  must  .suflit-e.  in  Iboli. 
Colonel  Warren,  seeretary  of  the  California  State  Agricultural 
Society,  invited  Derby  to  deliver  an  original  poem  at  \ho  annual 
meeting  of  the  society,  in  .September.  Derby  accepted  the  invi- 
tation by  letter,  and  wrote  the  following  as  a  sample  of  what 
he  could  do : 

Here's   to   tlic   Jaiid   of  potatoes  ami   t-arrots, 

Whose   hcDils  grow  wild,   rich   hacnii    and  parfois; 

Where  each  apple  and  pear  a  dollar  apiece  is. 

And  a   luaii   may  devour  just   as   much  as  he  pleases    (Spoken — 

'(■/'  ite'a  the  money  to  pay  /'«'"  thou.) 
Where  the  soil  is  tecniiug  with  vegetable  treasures. 
And  a  punijikin  ten  feet  in  circumference  measures; 
Where  to  root  u]i  a  turnip,  an  ox  employed  is; 
'By  each   laborer   a    very   large   salary  enjoyed   is;    {Fhiij   on 

the  word  celery) 
And  kind  Colonel  Warren  with  interest  watches 
The   growth   of   parsley   and   marrowfat   squashes, 
And   stirs  up  the  farmers,  and   gives   them  rules   of   action    and 

incentives  to  exertion,  and  constantly  teaches 
How  they  ought  not  to  let  Oregon  get  ahead  of  them,  but 

establish   nurseries   at   once,   where   they  could   raise   at 

very  trifling  expense,  all  kinds  of  grafted  fruit, 

j)ears  and   apples,  and   cherries,  and  the  most  delirious 

yieaches,   &c,   &c,   &c. 

Listening  to  the  stories  told  a1:»out  him  by  old  San  Diegans, 
it  becomes  clear  that  Derby  was  an  incorrigible  joker  and 
player  of  i)ranks.  One  lady  recalls  that,  having  one  day 
climbed  into  an  empty  crockery  cask,  for  fun,  Derby  slipped 
up  and  started  the  cask  rolling  with  her.  so  that  h(n*  dress  was 
sadl,y  torn  on  the  projecting  nails.  She  and  her  husl)and  lived 
in  upstairs  rooms  at  the  old  Gila  House,  and  Derby  used  to 
come  into  the  room  lielow,  when  he  knew  she  was  alone,  and 
rap  on  the  ceiling  with  his  cane,  to  frighten  her.  ()n('('  while 
he  and  ^Nlrs.  Derby  were  calling  on  this  lady  and  all  sitting  on 
the  hotel  piazza,  Derby  climlied  upon  the  head  of  an  empty 
barrel  and  began  to  make  a  burlesque  speech.  While  he  was 
in  the  midst  of  this,  waving  his  arms  and  talking  loud,  the  head 
of  the  bari-el  suddeidy  fell  in  Avith  him  and  he  took  a  tumble. 
to  the  great  anuisement  of  his  audience.  The  house  in  which 
he  and  Airs.  Derby  lived  is  still  standing.  ITe  had  a  very 
remarkable  memory,  could  recite  chapter  after  chapter  of  the 
Bible,  and.  after  hearing  a  sermon,  could  repeat  it  from  begin- 
ning to  end.  It  is  saitl  that  he  e.xiiected  the  appointment  to 
make  the  Pacific  Railroad  survey  and  was  greatly  disappointed 
when  he  did  not  receive  it. 


DEATH  OF  DERBY  315 

111  later  ycjirs  lie  \\;is  ciiiploycd  in  the  ci'cct  ioii  nl'  li'^lil  Ikhisos 
on  tlie  c'ofists  of  Florida  and  Alabama.  lie  died  May  1.'),  1861, 
in  the  prime  of  his  years,  and  his  fri(Mid  Ames  died  a1  San 
Bernai'diiio  Iwo  nionllis  lati'r.  His  son,  George  MeClellan 
Derhy,  is  now   a  lieiitenaMt-coloiiel   in  the  army. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


ABORTIVE  ATTEMPT   TO   ESTABLISH  NEW  SAN  DIEGO 


TIE  site  of  old  San  Diego  was  l)y  no  means 
favorable  for  a  seaport  town.  The  presidio 
was  located  on  the  hill  above  the  river,  at  the 
ontlet  of  ]\Iission  Valley,  merely  because  the 
place  could  be  easily  fortified  and  defended 
against  the  savages.  Old  Town  grew  up 
npon  the  fiat  beh)\v  Presidio  Hill  because  it 
was  originally  onl\  an  overfiow  from  the 
ganisoii  itself.  La  Playa  took  on  some  size  and  importance  and 
fiourislu^l  for  a  time  because  it  lay  close  to  deep  water,  but  its 
t(){)ography  was  such  as  to  offer  no  encouragement  to  the  growth 
of  a  large  cit\'.  San  Diego  simply  could  not  have  come  into 
being'  with  anything  like  its  present  consequence  and  future 
])romise  where  the  Spanish  ])lauted  the  seed  of  the  city  in  1769, 
nor  where  the  seed  was  wafted  and  took  root,  on  Point  Loma, 
in  the  brief  day  of  jNIexican  dominion. 

These  conditions  wei-e  sure  to  become  manifest  when  men  of 
enei'gy  and  ambition  should  ai'rive  and  begin  to  study  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  region.  Such  men  came  with  the  American 
flag  and  but  little  time  elapsed  before  they  were  planning  a  new 
San  Diego  at  a  far  more  eligible  point  on  the  shores  of  the 
beautiful  bay.  And  yet,  though  these  men  had  the  judgnuMit  to 
choose  the  best  spot  for  the  city  antl  the  imagination  to  behold 
its  possil)ilities,  they  lacked  the  constructive  capacity  required 
for  its  building.  Hence,  their  effort  goes  into  history  as  an 
unsuccessful  effort  to  take  advantage  of  a  genuine  opportunity. 
Andrew  B.  Gray,  who  served  as  surveyor  with  the  boundary 
commission,  and  who  was  afterward  a  major-general  in  the 
Confederate  Army,  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  having  first 
selected  the  present  site  of  San  Diego.  In  June,  1849,  the  offi- 
cials of  the  survey  camped  near  the  spot  where  the  army  bar- 
racks are  now  located,  on  what  is  now  IT  Street.  It  occurred 
to  (ilraA'  at  tluit  time  that  this  was  Ihe  ti'ue  location  f(U*  such  a 
city  as  would  inevitablv  develop  in  connection  with  this  great 
natural  seaport.  He  discussed  the  matter  freelv  and  found 
several  San  Diegans  who  indorsed  his  conception.  l)ut  the  enter- 
ju'ise   i-e(|uire(I   cnpital. 


GRAY  FORMS  A  SYNDICATE  317 

Til  Fe])niavy,  1850,  "William  ITcath  Davis  caiiu'  to  town  and 
dray  promptly  laid  his  scheme  before  him.  Davis  thon'^ht  well 
of  it  and  agreed  to  eo-o])ei'ate.  On  March  l(i.  an  a<;i'eement  was 
made  l>y  which  (iray,  Davis,  Jose  Antonio  Ajiuirre.  Miuuel  de 
Tedi-orena,  and  AVilliam  C.  Ferrell  entered  into  a  ])artnei-ship 
foi"  the  pnrpose  nf  devolopiny-  a  new  townsite.  liefori'  the 
])apers  were  siuned.  howevei'.  a  vessel  arrived  at  i.a  IMaya  with 
materials  t'oi-  the  new  u'overnmenl  building',  in  cJiarLic  ol'  (|uar- 
termaster  and  connnissai'\'  for  the  Sonthern  Department.  T^ieii- 
t(Miant  Thomas  D.  Johns.  Oray  and  his  associates  saw  that  the 
location  of  the  fi'overiniient  hnihlin.us  at  La  i'laya  would  make 
it  very  difficnlt  to  attract  population  to  tlieii-  lownsile.  Ilcnce, 
they  lost  no  time  in  waitin.u'  npon  iiientenani  .Johns  ;ind  nrLiing 
the  a(lvantaL;cs  of  the  new  location  upon  him.  'IMicx'  ar-jucd  so 
convincin;^l\-  that  Johns  reship|)ed  the  materials  which  had  heen 
landed  at  La  Playa  and  l)i-oui:h1  tlie  vessel  aci-oss  the  bay, 
anchorin<»'  oft'  the  new  townsite.  Johns  evideiillx  joined  tlie 
syndicate,  for  he  received  one  of  the  eitihteen  shaics.  The  oth- 
ers Mere  disti"il)uted  four  each  to  (!i-ay.  I);ivis.  Auuirre  and 
Pedrorena.  and  one  to  Fei-ielj.  the  attoj-nex .  I'lider  the  agree- 
ment. Davis  nnderlook"  |o  build  ;i  wli;irl'  and  warehouse,  rchiin- 
in^'  the  ownership  of  Ihe  land  and  improvements.  The  scheme 
seems  to  have  been  vei'\'  well  "'luit  up.''  coml)inin^-  capital, 
influence,   and   the  necessary   expert    knowleduc    in    enyineerin!i'. 

On  March  18,  1850,  the  associjites  wci-e  uranted  the  land  bn- 
which  they  applied  to  the  cit.v,  the  deed  bein^'  siiined  l)y  Alcalde 
Thomas  W.  Sutherland.  Th(>  tract  contained  IHO  acres,  was 
bounded  on  the  east  by  what  is  now  Front  and  on  the  north  by 
what  is  now  D  Streets  and  cost  ^2.304 — a  nice  little  townsite 
Avhich  is  now  W(n1h  considei'ably  more  than  it  was  oli  years  ai:('>. 
It  was  lonu'  sui)posed  thai  it  included  Ihe  ndjaceiil  tide  lands, 
lyinji'  on  tlie  bay  shore  belwcen  the  lines  dl'  liiuli  ;iiid  lnw  waler, 
but  this  const  I'uct  ion  pr(i\'ed  to  be  iiicoi-red.  The  tei'uis  of  the 
iirant  rjilled  Tor"';!  new  port."  jind  slipiilnted  lli;i1  ;i  wharf  ami 
warehouse,  should   be   built    within    is    iminths. 

New  San  Diciio  certainl\-  slurted  with  brieht  prospects.  The 
country  was  pi-osperous.  h;id  i'ecentl\-  Ix'coine  ;i  part  nf  tlu' 
Fnited  States.  ;ind  w;is  receixiiiL;  constant  reci'uits  in  tin'  way 
of  American  settlei-s.  The  liold  booiii  in  the  north  was  at  fidl 
tide  and  i)eople  were  rusliiiii:-  to  California  from  all  parts  of 
the  world.  It  would  seem  the  new  town  should  have  dc|)0|»- 
ulated  Old  Town  and  L;i  IMa_\a.  ;itti-actcd  ;i  i-e;isiin;ib|e  sh.n-e 
of  the  n(W\i*(iniers.  jmd  (|niekly  est.-iblished  itself  on  ;i  sure 
foundation. 

Toward  the  end  of  tin'  suninier.  the  lii-i<_:  Ciilxll  arri\ed  at 
San    l''rancisco   from    I'mtland.    .Maine,   loaded    with    bnnbei-  and 


31S  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

enrried  also  eight  or  ten  houses  alread\-  framed  and  a  (quantity 
of  hricks.  Davis  bouoht  this  cargo  and  sent  the  sliip  at  once 
til  San  Diego,  where  all  but  80,000  feet  of  the  lumber  was  used. 
Tlie  wharf  and  warehouse  were  begun  in  Septemlier,  1850,  and 
finished  in  August  of  the  following  year.  The  wharf  extended 
from  the  foot  of  Atlantic  Street  for  some  distance,  then  turned 
and  extended  at  a  right  angle  to  the  stream.  Its  total  length 
was  600  feet,  and  with  the  warehouse  it  cost  about  .$60,000. 
The  barracks  were  built  in  1851,  on  a  block  given  for  the  purr 
pose,  and  two  companies  of  troops  from  the  mission  moved  in. 

The  first  house  was  built  by  Mr.  Davis — one  of  the  framed 
houses  sent  on  the  CijhcJl.  It  was  on  State  Street,  lietween  G 
and  H.  About  1855,  this  house  was  purchased  by  Captain 
Knowles  and  removed  to  its  present  location  on  11th  Street, 
l)etween  K  and  L.  Davis  also  put  up  a  luimber  of  other  build- 
ings, among-  them  one  at  the  corner  of  State  and  F  Streets 
known  for  years  as  the  "San  Diego  Hotel."  Gray  also  put  up 
a  house,  which  is  still  standing,  on  State  Street  between  H 
and  I  and  was  known  as  the  "Hermitage."  Some  army  officers 
also  bought  lots  and  built  houses,  among  them  Captain  Nathan- 
iel Lyon.  A  short  time  before  the  Civil  War,  a  num])er  of  these 
liouses  were  removed  to  Old  Town,  being  either  moved  bodily, 
or  taken  down  and  re-ereeted. 

The  coming  of  the  II<  raid  in  May,  1851,  was  an  important 
event.  At  that  time,  the  following  were  in  business  at  new 
San  Diego,  as  shown  by  the  advertisements  in  the  Ilirold: 

George  F.  Cooper,  general  merchandise,  corner  4th  and  Cali- 
fornia Streets.  The  office  of  the  Herald  was  upstairs  over  this 
store. 

Ames  and  Pendleton,  lumber  and  merchandise,  California 
Street. 

Slack  &  Morse,  general  merchau'^ise. 

The  Boston  House,  Slack  &  ^Nlorse. 

•J.  Judson   Ames  was  the  notary  public. 

On  July  31,  1851,  the  Herald  states  that  Davis's  new  wharf 
Wduld  be  completed  in  about  a  week.  This  wharf  was  used  by 
the  government  for  several  years,  and  was  for  a  time  a  profit- 
al)le  investment.  The  government  buildings  were  designed  as 
a  military  storehouse  and  depot,  and  fonned  the  government 
depot  of  supplies  for  several  posts.  The  supplies  were  sen!  out 
by  shi]).  unloaded  at  Davis's  whai'f,  and  sent  out  by  wagon 
ti-ains  to  Tejon,  Yuma.  ^Nlojave,  San  Luis  Rey,  Chino,  Santa 
Ysabel,  and  other  places. 

<  >ne  of  the  difficulties  with  which  the  new  town  had  to  con- 
tend from  th(»  start  was  tlu^  absence  of  fresh  watei'.  The  offi- 
ce's sent  a  water-train  to  the  San  Diego  River,  near  Old  Town, 
every   day.      Major   ^NIcKinstrv   contracted   with    a    Mr.    Goens. 


A  THREE  CORNERED  FIGHT 


aiy 


wiio  had  sunk  a  well  at  l>a  I'laya.  lo  do  llic  same  al  iIk-  new 
1()\vii.  lie  sunk  al)()ut  :5(>()  feet  on  Ihe  «i:overiinu'n1 's  land,  and 
then,  for  some  unknown  reason,  siuldenly  abandoned  tlie  job 
and  quit  the  country.  However,  it  was  not  h)n^'  unlii  a  trood 
sui)ply  of  fresh  water  was  struck  near  the  location  of  the  pres- 
ent courthouse.  Front  and  B  Streets,  and  soon  after  ,it  State 
and  F,  whei-<>  ~S\v.  ^lorse  had  sunk  a  well,  and  by  Captain  Sher- 
man on  his  new  addition.  The  future  of  the  ni'W  town  now 
seemed  assured. 


HOUSE   KNOWN   AS    "THE    HERMITAGE"    BUILT    BY    LIEUTENANT   GRAY 


Tliat  this  opinion  did  not  jn'evail  in  cVi'vy  (piai'tei-.  liowrver.  is 
clear.  The  people  of  La  J  Maya  were  naturally  disapi)ointed  at  los- 
ing the  wharf  and  government  biiildiii'is  and  the  access  of  busi- 
ness and  ])o])ulation  <jfoinir  with  theiiL  ( )ld  Town  was  the  cnunty 
seat  and  the  largest  center  of  wcidth  and  population,  but  beuan 
to  fear  the  loss  of  that  distinction.  This  three-coi-nered  tight 
continued  for  some  years,  and  it  was  difiicult  t(»  ])rophesy  which 
would  win  out.  l*eople  in  other  ])laees  also  had  opinions.  Thu'^. 
the  San  Fi'aiieiseo  Alhi  Calif ontut  said  in  Sc|)t''inbci'.  1*>.')1: 
"The  establishment  nf  the  new  town  at  the  head  ot'  the  iiay  was 
eertaiidy  a  most  disastrous  speculat  ion.  an  immense  amount 
IiMvinir  been  sunk  in  tln'  opcratioiL" 


320  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

But  the  "most  unkinck'st  cut  of  all''  was  that  of  Bartlett,  who 
saw  the  place  iu  Fe])ruary,  1852,  and  wrote  thus:  "Three  miles 
south  of  San  Die^o  is  another  town  near  the  shore  of  the  bay, 
which  was  surve>-ed  and  plotted  by  j\lr.  ("Iray,  V.  S.  surveyor 

to   the   boundary   commission,    while   on   duty    here 

There  is  no  business  to  bring  vessels  here,  except  an  occasional 
one  with  government  stores.  There  is  no  water  nearer  than  the 
San  Diego  River,  three  miles  distant.  Efforts  indeed  are  being 
made  to  find  it  witli  an  artesian  well ;  but  with  what  success 
remains  to  ))e  seen.  There  is  no  timber  near,  and  wood  has  to 
be  brought  some  eight  or  ten  miles.  Without  wood,  water,  or 
arable  land,  this  place  can  never  rise  to  importance." 

At  the  time  of  the  Indian  uprising,  late  iu  1851  and  early 
iu  1852,  considerable  anxiety  was  felt  for  the  safety  of  the  gov- 
ernment stores  at  new  San  Diego,  it  being  suggested  that  the 
depot  would  he  a  natural  point  of  attack  for  the  loot-loving  sav- 
ages, and  the  number  of  regular  troops  being  small.  Levi  i\I. 
Slack  was  one  of  the  victiwis  of  the  massacre  at  Warner's  ranch. 
Mr.  ]Morse  was  absent  iu  ]\Iassachusetts  at  the  time  and  their 
store  remained  closed  until  his  return,  in  May,  1852.  It  does 
not  appear  that  the  u])risiug  had  any  lasting  effect  upon  the 
new  settlement. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  considerable  settlement  at  new 
San  Diego  of  immigrants  who  came  by  the  Southern  route,  by 
way  of  El  Paso  and  Yuma.  At  Warner's  ranch  they  divided. 
])art  going  to  Los  Angeles  and  i)art  coming  here.  In  October, 
1887.  while  some  laljorers  were  digging  a  culvert  on  B  Street 
l)ct\vcen  7th  and  8th,  they  found  an  old.  forgotten  graveyard 
and  removed  five  coffins  which  were  reinterred  in  the  cemetery. 
P].  W.  ^lorse  was  of  the  opinion  that  these  were  graves  of  mem- 
bers of  this  party  of  immigi-ants,  eight  of  whom  died  while  they 
were  here.  He  appeared  not  to  know  what  had  become  of  these 
people,  and  it  has  been  found  impossilile  to  ascertain  who  they 
Avere  or  what  ])ecame  of  them.  The  best  opinion  appears  to  be 
that  they  were  a  party  of  gold  hunters  who,  after  remaining 
long  enough  to  recruit,  Avent  on  to  the  northern  diggings  over- 
land or  by  ship. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us  iu  view  of  Avhat  has  since  hap- 
pened, the  new  San  Diego  of  Gray  and  Davis,  in  spite  of  the 
natural  advantage  of  its  site  and  the  impi-ovciiKMits  which  gave 
it  tlie  l)enefit  of  shi oping  facilities  and  tiovernment  headquar- 
ters, could  not  hold  its  own  iu  the  strui>gle  for  supremacy  with 
old  San  Diegf).  Eai-ly  in  1853.  less  than  two  years  after  the 
comi^letion  of  the  wharf,  E.  W.  Morse  and  the  Herald  establish- 
ment had  removed  to  the  Old  Town  of  the  Spanish  fathers. 
There  is  no  dou})t  that  this  marks  the  date  when  the  tide  turned 
definitely  away  fi-om  th(^  new  undertaking,  though  there  was  a 


THE  MIDDLETOWN  PROJECT 


321 


slight  rrvivjil  ill  IS.')!),  on  accoiiiil  oi'  jiriiiy  jictivilios.  Soon, 
however,  the  Civil  War  came  on  and  llic  troops  went  East,  leav- 
ing new  San  Diego  to  fall  into  decay.  Tlie  wliarf  and  ware- 
house ended  ignoniinionsly  as  fuel  for  llic  voluntcei-s  assembled 
there  in  the  cold  winler  of  ISOl-'i.  and  the  lorcdos  cleaned  up 
the  piles.      .Many  yeais  laler   (1886)    :\Ir.   Davis  obtained  $6,000 


CHARLES   P.    NOELL 
One  of  the  oriKinal  owners  of  Micldletown 


for  the  loss  of  his  wharf.    The  site  is  now  occupied  liy  the  Santa 
Fe  Mharf. 

Tile  "Middlelown"  tract  (d"  (iST  acres  was  the  scene  of  an 
enterprise  inaugurated  hy  the  i>i-osi)ects  of  new  San  Diego.  It 
was  irranted  hy  Alcalde  .Joshua  II.  Bean  to  Oliver  S.  Witherhy. 
Will.  il.  Hmory,  Cave  J.  Ccmts,  Thomas  W.  Sutherlaml.  Atkins 
S.  Wiiuht.  A^-ostin  Ilaraszthv.  Jose  Maria   l-'studillo,  Juan  P>an- 


322  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

dini,  Ch;irl(:'s  P.  Xoell.  and  Henry  Clayton,  on  May  27,  1850. 
It  became  dormant  with  the  new  town,  bnt  in  later  years  revived 
and  became  valuable  property,  and  Hicre  was  a  suit  for  its  par- 
tition. It  is  now  one  of  the  most  iiiipoi'tant  additions  in  the 
new  city. 

The  true  and  endui'inu'  San  Dic^uo — the  city  of  toda\-  and 
toiHorrow — does  not  date  fi-om  ISoO,  not-  is  Andrew  B.  (Iray  its 
father.  When  Gray  and  his  associates  had  gone  and  counted 
their  labor  lost,  the  sunny. slope  and  the  blue  waters  had  yet 
many  years  to  wait  l)efore  the  real  founder  and  builder  should 
r.rrive. 


PART   THIRD 

The     Horton     Period 


('ii,\r'ri;K*  i 


THE  FOUNDER  OF  THE  MODERN  CITY 


N  TllK  ir)lh  uf  A[)ril.  1S()7,  something  liai)- 
pt'iied  which  radically  cliaiigcd  the  course  of 
S.iii  Diego  history.  This  was  the  arrival  of 
;i  innii  from  San  Fi'aiicisco  on  the  steamer 
I'iuijic.      lie    was     iKtt     possessed    I'f    large 

means,  represented   irganization.  jiiid  had 

11(1  personal  following,  yet  was  destined  to 
iii;mgiirnt(>  a  movement  which  should  change 
the  local  ion  oT  the  city  and  stall  it  nn  llie  road  to  real  and 
enduring  Liieatness.  In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  have  "Father" 
Horton's  own  account  of  the  circumslanees  which  led  to  his 
eoiiiing  and  of  how  he  i)roceeded  aftei-  liis  arrival.  At  this 
point  it  is  important  to  get  a  i:limi)se  of  his  previous  career  and 
to  make  some  characterization  ol'  his  work  in  founding  the 
modern  city. 

Alonzo  Erastiis  lloi-ton  Avas  horn  at  I'liiofi.  Connecticut,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1813.  lie  was  tliiis  in  his  tirty-foiwlh  year  when  he 
began  his  work  in  San  Dieiio.  an  age  at  wliieli  very  few  men 
undertake  a  new  task  of  sneh  importance,  lie  came  of  old  Xew 
Kngland  stock  and  the  story  of  his  life  is  ivally  a  pi<-ture  of 
his  times.  It  begins  with  the  clean,  sweet  poverty  which  went 
with  the  migration  of  the  old  stock  into  new  coiintrics  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Kepublic.  The  family  began  their  westward 
march  while  the  future  founder  of  San  Diego  was  two  years 
old.  moving  from  Connecticut  to  Madison  Count  \-.  Xcw  York. 
They  next  moved  to  Oswego  County  and.  in  1S24.  they  liad 
reached  the  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  at  the  town  of  Scriba,  and 
were  living  in  ;i  log  house.  Young  IlortoiTs  father  had  become 
blind  ami.  the  boy  began  to  earn  moiie.\-  liy  basket-makinu.  while 
still  going  to  school.  Later,  he  couti-ibuted  to  the  family  sup- 
port by  hew  iiig  timber,  whicli  was  soM  in  the  local  market.  Uy 
the  time  he  reached  his  majority  he  had  gaiiu^d  experience  a.s 
a  grocery  clerk,  as  a  lake  sailor  before  the  mast,  and  as  cap- 
tain and  owner  of  a  small  \-essel  engaged  in  the  wheat  trade 
between  Oswego  and  Camnla.  Tie  retii-ed  from  the  lake  with 
several  hundred  dollars  in  his  pocket  and  learned  the  trade  of 
a    cooper.      Til    spite   of   his   strength,    ami    his   local    Jiote   as   a 


326  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

^vrcsth-r.   .1    pliysieiaii   told   liiiii   he  had  consumption  and  could 
Hot  live  a  year  unless   he  went    West. 

Ai-tinu-  u[K)n  the  advice,  he  proceeded  to  Milwaukee  in  May, 
183tl.  TIk^  next  tifteen  years  he  spent  mostly  in  AVisconsin, 
■with  one  or  two  trii)s  to  New  Voi-k.  He  availed  himself  of  the 
opportunity  of  the  fi'onlier  to  make  nioticy  in  vai-ioiis  ventures, 
prineipall.N-  lu    ti-adinu   in  land  and  cattle. 

After  tlic  Mexican  Wai',  when  he  had  accunnilati^d  about 
$-l:.()iH).  lie  went  to  St.  li(Miis  and  bought  land  warrants  from  the 
soldiei's  at  less  than  tlieir  face  value.  AVith  these  he  returned 
to  AVisconsin  and  located  ten  sections  of  land  in  the  pinery  on 
Wolf  River,  about  twenty  miles  from  Oshkosh,  in  what  is  now 
Ontauamie  County.  Tlie  land  cast  him  70  cents  an  acre  and 
contained  a  good  millsite  and  steamer  landing.  Here  he  laid 
out  the  town  of  Ilortonville,  which  still  Nourishes.  He  encour- 
aged settlement  In'  furnishing  work,  giving  free  lots,  and  sell- 
ing- lumber  at  lialf-price,  to  those  who  would  build  houses.  In 
less  than  three  years  he  sold  the  mill  and  town  foi-  sj^T.OOO  and 
later  the  balance  of  the  land  at  $15  an  acre,  so  that  his  first 
important  enterprise  netted  him  a  comfortable  fortune.  Then 
he  joined  the  tide  and  went  to  California,  arriving  in  1851  and 
settlim:-  in  the  mining  region.  He  opened  a  store  at  Pilot  Hill 
and  eonstructetl  a  ditch  over  six  miles  in  length  to  supply  min- 
ers with  water.  At  th«^  end  of  his  first  year  lie  disposed" of  his 
property  for  $6,500.  which  represented  l)ut  a  slight  ])i-ofit  on 
his  original  investnfent.  and  began  trading  in  gold-dust,  first, 
aetint.;-  on  connnission  for  the  Adams  Express  Company,  and 
later,  on  his  own  account. 

The  business  of  buying  gohl-dnst  in  i)ioneer  times,  when  the 
country  swarmed  Avith  i-ough  characters,  involved  considerable 
danger  and  Horton  had  his  full  share  of  adventure.  The  fol- 
lowing incident,  related  in  the  I[orto)i  G( xealofpi.  jiublished 
at  Philadel})hia  in  1876.  shows  us  how  he  drew  upon  his  fund 
of  Yankee  slirewdness  to  avei't  troul)le  on  one  occasion: 

He  arrived  one  evening  at  one  of  the  rong'h  taverns  of  those 
times,  with  treasure  enough  about  him  to  incite  the  gamblers 
about  him  to  worse  crimes  for  its  possession.  His  good  clothes 
were  covered  with  very  dirty  overalls  and  cotton  shirt.  Tn  cal- 
culating Yankee  ])hrase,  he  interrogated  the  ])ro]iriet()r  as  to 
his  accommodations  for  man  and  beast,  and  the  reasonableness 
of  his  charges.  Card-playing  ceased  for  a  time  in  the  general 
astonishment,  then  the  party  shouted  with  laughter  at  the 
green  chap  from  Connecticut.  They  bantered  him  to  play 
off  a  Yankee  trick.  He  showed  them  how  to  eat  the  mush  and 
milk,  which  he  had  stipulated  for  as  his  supper,  and  with  a 
yawn  of  indifference  at  the  jests  made  at  his  expense,  he  sig- 
nified his  desire  to  sleep.  The  door  of  his  room  was  without 
'"'•1\   "!■    I'olt,   but    the  landlord   laughingly   assur(>d    his   guest   that 


GOLD-DUST  SPECULATION  327 

hr  would  be  the  last,  mail  aiiyoiic  would  think  of  rnMoii-;. 
He  awoke  next  morning  from  an  uiKlisturbed  slceji,  ami  at 
breakfast  time  was  u])  and  dressed.  He  j)assed  over  a  small 
package  of  dust  in  settlement,  which  was  aeeepted  and  i>ro- 
nouneed  all  right.  Word  was  sent  to  the  stable,  his  Imjisc 
eonld   now  be   brouglit  out — his  bill  was  paid. 

"Mister,   want    to   buy   some  more   of   that   stuff?" 

"Yes";    replying   with,    a    siirjirised    look. 

"How  much?" 

"Suppose  1  can  buy  all  .v'"(  have  to  sell." 

"Will   you    treat   this    "ere   crowd    if   you    can't?" 

"Yes,  i  will,  and  ycon,  too." 

Diminutive  sacks  of  dust  were  handed  to  the  wondering 
host,  and  the  coin  counted  out  in  return.  By  the  time  $2..'in(j 
had  changed  hands,  the  landlord's  $20  pieces  were  exhausted, 
and  our  Yankee  had  jilayed  the  "tri(di"  with  a  $250  pile  still 
in  reserve.  The  laugh  came  in  then  louder  than  the  night 
before;  and  as  the  glasses  were  being  filled  the  buyer  of  the 
gold-dust  remarked,  irreligiously,  that  he  would  have  robbed 
the   fellow  himself  if  he  had  known  how^  he  was  playing   h'ni. 

The  irold-dust  speeiiljition  tiii-iied  out  profital)ly.  soiin'times 
paying-  as  much  a.s  $1,000  a  month.  Ilorton  was  also  hiulily 
t'ortiiiiate  ill  an  ice  speculation  in  El  Dorado  County,  from 
which  ho  foali/.ed  $8,000  in  a  few  numths.  In  ^Farch.  IS-'jCi,  he 
Avas  a  ])asseni>er  on  the  steamer  Corh  :  foi-  Panama,  and  foiuid 
himself  involved  in  the  tight  bctweiMi  tin-  Amei'ieans  and  the 
natives,  whieh  occurred  on  the  Isthmus,  lie  took  a  eonspie- 
nmis  pai-1  in  ju-oteetins  the  passengers  duriiig  their  flight  from 
the  hotel  in  the  ship,  but  lost  $10.00!)  in  gold  as  the  rcsnlt  of 
the  riot.  On  arriving  in  New  York,  he  was  sent  to  Washington 
to  represent  the  jiassengers  in  reporting  to  the  govfriniient 
From  that  time  until  b^tU.  ho  repeatedly  .iourneyed  tn  Wash- 
ington in  connection  with  the  affair,  making  a  stri'nuous  iiLrht 
for  the  recovery  of  heavy  losses  sustained  hy  the  passengers.  A 
settlement  was  reached  at  last,  hut  lI(»rton  had  made  himself 
so  obnoxious  to  the  eomiiiissionef  rrom  \(>\v  (iranada  that  his 
own   name  was  stricken   from   the  list   of  creditors. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  Ilorton  returned 
to  the  Pacific  Coast.  ITe  extended  his  wanderings  as  far  north 
as  British  Columbia,  whei-e  he  engaged  in  mininir  and  trading 
withont  success,  lie  then  went  to  San  l-^-aiiciseo  to  bcLiin  life 
over  again.  Tie  first  tri^'d  a  stall  in  the  market,  then  real  estate, 
and  finall.v  went  into  the  rnniitnre  business,  whei-e  he  was 
doing  fairly  well  when  the  San  DicLTi)  idea  look  possession 
of  him. 

The  man  wlio  came  in  iSdT  to  la.v  the  loundations  of  ;i 
new  San  Diego  had  had  a  rough.  adv(Mi1urons  career  and  was  .i 
true  product  of  frontier  conditions.  P.\  instinct  and  i  raining, 
he    was    a    trader    and    a    liold.    sjn'ewd    speculator.    Imt    In-    was 


328  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

also  a  man  endowed  with  the  creative  cast  of  mind  who  pre- 
ferred to  trade  and  speculate  where  lie  could  also  build  and  have 
the  satisfaction  of  looking-  upon  important  things  which  liad 
come  from  his  labors.  In  estimating-  the  work  of  such  a  man  it 
is  important  to  avoid  extremes  of  praise  or  blame.  Thus  it 
Avould  be  unjust  to  say  that  he  was  actuated  solely  by  avarice 
and  took  no  pride  in  wliat  he  did  beyond  tlie  amount  of  money 
it  paid  liim.  On  the  other  hand,  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  treat 
him  as  a  i)hilanthropist  wlio  tliought  only  of  social  gains  and  the 
good  of  others.  Ilis  i)redominant  motive  in  coming  to  San 
Diego  wMs  to  engage  in  what  lie  rightly  conceived  to  be  a  good 
real  estate  speculation.  In  carrying  the  scheme  into  effect  he 
adopted  a  policj'  of  liberality  not  always  tempered  with  wisdom, 
but  consistently  designed  to  foster  his  own  interests  Avhile  ben- 
efitting the  connuunity  as  a  Avhole.  He  was  shrewd  enough  to 
see  that  whatever  made  San  Diego  larger  or  more  prosperous 
must  make  him  richer,  and  he  was  liroad  enough  to  pursue  this 
object  in  a  way  that  gave  evei-yone  a  share  of  the  results.  He 
entered  upon  his  work  without  any  comprehensive  training  for 
the  laying  out  of  a  modern  city,  and  made  some  mistakes  in  conse- 
quence which  have  often  been  criticised.  Such  mistakes  were 
never  duo  to  pettA'  motives,  for  pettiness  had  no  place  in  his 
character.  Ilis  methods  were  always  marked  by  boldness  and 
generosity,  springing  from  l)oundless  faith  in  the  future  of 
the  city. 

Although  Hortou  does  not  belong  to  the  class  of  men  who  have 
founded  communities  in  order  to  illustrate  some  great  idea,  or 
to  facilitate  human  progress  in  some  important  direction,  he 
nevrrtheU'SS  displayed  high  (pialities  in  his  work  at  San  Diego. 
He  exercised  the  soundest  judgment  in  selecting  the  site  upon 
Avhich  a  city  could  be  built.  He  was  not  the  first  to  appreciate 
the  imp(n'tance  of  the  location — that  credit  belongs  to  Lieuten- 
ant Gr^iy.  as  we  saw  in  a  |)revious  chapter — Imt  he  was  the  first 
to  create  a  successful  settlement  here.  The  abortive  attempt 
which  preceded  his  undertaking  certaiidy  made  his  work  no 
easier.  In  the  ojiinion  of  many,  it  stami)ed  it  with  failure  in 
advance.  He  had  a  large  measure  of  imagination,  that  gift  of 
the  gods  which  enables  men  to  foresee  what  is  to  happen  and 
to  discern  the  practical  steps  by  which  events  may  be  brought 
to  pass.  Hndoubtedly  the  op]>ortunity  was  nuich  riper  in  1867, 
Avhcii  Plorton  began,  than  in  1850.  when  Gray  had  his  inspira- 
tion in  the  same  direction ;  but  the  ability  to  know  w^hen  oppor- 
tuJiities  are  ripe  is  an  important  quality  in  itself.  There  were 
able  men  in  San  Diego  when  Hoi'ton  came,  and  abh^  men  else- 
where in  California,  but  they  did  not  know  that  the  time  had 
come  to  make  a  new  San  Diego  where  the  city  now  stands.  Hor- 
tou not  oidv  saw  his  chance,  but  he  liad  the  courac't^  to  take  his 


ESTIMATE  OF  IIORTON  329 

ehaiH'c  ;i1  ;i  time  when  his  pcciiiii.-iry  (';i|)il;il  \v;is  so  siikiII  lliat 
it  \V(Mil(l  li;i\c  jippallt'd  iiiost  imii  lo  lliiiik  ol'  such  an  iiiidcrtak- 
iii.t:'.  iiiiicli  less  to  set  tlieir  hands  to  it. 

Not  only  did  lie  have  diseei-nnient,  iniayinatioii.  and  eonrai,^:', — 
the  pioneer  of  modern  San  Dieuo  had  l)oundh^ss  eonfidciiee  iu 
himself  and  a  tivniendous  aiuoiuit  of  pei'sonal  foi'cc.  Had  it 
been  otherwise,  he  wonhl  have  lieen  no  i-ieher  after  l)n\  inir  Ids 
land  for  twenty-six  eents  an  aei'e  than  l)ef<)re.  The  v;due  of  the 
land  for  townsite  ]inri>oses  was  ])otential.  not  actual.  To  eon- 
vert  the  potentiality  into  a  reality,  and  to  do  it  with  no  capital 
except  his  wits,  re(iuire(|  uciiuine  nliility,  sustained  l)y  faith  and 
baeked  by  tireless  energx'.  llorton  was  e([)ial  to  the  occasion — 
in  tlir«'e  years  new  San  Diego  had  tlirtn'  thousand  peoi)le.  It  is 
easy  enouah  to  criticise  the  man  wlio  did  it :  it  is  not  so  ea.sy  to 
dujtlicate  the  achievement,  imr  was  it  ever  done  Ix-fore  ]»\'  llie 
will  of  a  sinjile  individual,  without  capital,  without  the  support 
of  some  ivli<rious,  socird,  (u-  commercial  oi'<iani/.ation. 

Th(^  founding-  of  modern  San  Diego,  under  the  circumstances, 
was  a  big  thing,  and  the  credit  for  the  achievement  lielongs  abso- 
lutely aiul  indisputably  to  A.  Iv  lloi-toii.  His  title  to  the  di.s- 
tinction  is  as  clear  as  that  of  Cabrillo  1o  the  discovei-y  of  Ilie 
Bay.  or  that  of  Serra  to  the  founding  of  tlie  mission.  It  would 
be  palpably  al)surd  to  ])retend  that  llorton,  alone,  nuide  San 
Diego  what  it  is  today.  Thousands  of  people  had  a  ])art  in  its 
making,  and  among  these  thousamls  wei-e  a  fcnv  individuals  who 
doubtless  contrilmted  more  1i>  the  development  of  tlie  cil\-  th.an 
Tloi-ton  did.  But  tliey  did  not  bind  in  San  Diego  on  A|»ril  l."). 
1S()7,  purchast^  the  vacant  land,  (K'cree  that  the  comnumity 
(already  a  century  old)  should  lie  moved  thi-(>e  miles  soulh.  and 
initiate  the  era  of  true  and  endui-ing  greatness.  •'Falhei-*'  llor- 
ton did  that,  and  did  it   exceedinizh-  well,  as  the  i-esull    testifies. 


CllAP'I'Kli   11 


horton's  own  story 


(Tlie  stntciHPiit  cdiitaiiKd  in  this  cliaiiter,  together  witli 
niucli  otlicr  iiiatt'ri;i]  for  this  voliuiic.  was  dictated  by  Mr.  Hor- 
toii  to  a  stenographer  iii  a  series  of  interviews  occurring  in 
October,  November  and  December,  1905.  The  white  old  pioneer 
had  tlien  just  entered  u]ion  his  ninety-third  year,  yet  enjoyed 
vigorous  health,  with  unimpaired  sight  and  hearing,  and  witli 
the  keenest  interest  in  all  public  affairs,  present  as  well  as 
past.  Every  day  he  drove  alone  through  tiie  streets  of  the  city, 
as  self-reliant  as  in  the  days  of  his  jirime.  His  memory 
seemed  clear  and  strong,  though  it  naturally  dwelt  largely  in 
the  past  and  lingered  with  especial  fondness  on  the  triumphs 
of  his  career.  And  as  these  words  are  written,  nearly  a  year 
after  the  interviews  described,  "Father"'  Itorton  still  lives  in 
his  suburl>an  home,  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Olive,  from  which 
s]i()T    he   coniiuands  one  of   the   finist   views   in   the   world.) 

RETURNED  to  the  racific  Coast  in  1861,  and 
in  INIay,  1867,  was  living  in  San  Francisco.  I 
liad  a  store  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Mar- 
ket Streets  where  I  dealt  in  furniture  and 
household  goods,  and  was  doing  well.  One 
night  a  friend  said  to  me: 

"There   is   going  to  be   a   })ig  meeting  to- 
night"'   [at  such  a  place],  "and  it  might  he 
interesting  for  vou  to  attend." 

"Whatsis  to  be  the  subject  of  the  talk"?"  I  asked. 
"It  will  be  on  the  subject  of  what  ports  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
will  make  l)ig  cities.'" 

So  I  went,  and  the  speaker  commenced  at  Seattle  and  said  it 
was  going  to  be  a  big  city;  and  then  he  came  on  down  to  San 
Francisco,  which  he  said  would  be  one  of  the  liiggest  cities  in 
California.  Then  he  kept  on  down  along  the  coast  until  he  came 
to  San  Diego,  and  he  said  that  San  Diego  was  one  of  the  health- 
iest places  in  the  world,  and  that  it  had  one  of  the  best  harbors 
in  the  worhl ;  that  there  was  no  better  harlior. 

I  could  not  sleep  that  nigl>f4t+r  thinking  about  San  Diego,  and 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  got  up  and  looked  on  a  map  to 
see  where  San  Diego  was.  and  then  went  back  to  bed  satisfied. 
In  1lie  iiioi-iiing  I  said  to  mv  wife:  "I  am  going  to  sell  my  goods 
and  CO  to  San  Diego  and  build  a  city."  She  said  I  talked  like 
a  wild  man.  tlint  T  could  not  dispose  of  my  goods  in  six  months. 


HORTON'S  FIRST  VISIT  331 

But  T  coimiiciiccd  ili.it  iiioniiiiL:  .iiid  iiiadc  ji  hir^'c  sale  lluil  (lay. 
The  .sl'coihI  ([a\'  it  was  the  sniiic  ;iii(l  1  luid  to  hire  two  iiion-  help- 
ers, l^y  tiie  third  day  I  h;id  live  iiii-ii  hii-ed.  and  in  these  Ihi'ee 
days  I  had  sold  (Hit  ;dl  my  stork.  It  \v;is  not  an  ;ini-tion  sale, 
but  just  a  I'un  of  laisincss  which  seemed  pi'ovident  i;d.  Then  my 
Avife  said  she  wonid  not  o|)|)ose  nie  any  longer,  for  she  had  always 
uotieed  w  lien  it  was  i'ii:ht  I'or  me  1o  do  anything-,  it  always  went 
right  in  my  I'aNor;  .ind  as  this  had  <i'one  that  way.  she  hejievpd' 
it  was  right  for  uie  to  do  so. 

I  went  down  to  the  office  of  the  Pacific  .Mail  Steamshi]*  Com- 
pany and  in(jnired.  and  they  said  the  steamer  wonld  he  in  on 
her  return  trip  in  about  ten  days;  so  I  engaged  passage  down 
and  hack.  I  took  passage  on  the  steamer  Pacific,  and  ari'ived  in 
San  Diego  on  the  loth  of  .\pril.  The  steamer  carried  twenty- 
six  tons  of  freight  and  six  passenucrs.  On  the  i-eturn  trip  she 
had  a  cargo  of  whale  oil.  1  was  the  oidy  passenger  going  to  San 
Diego  to  stay.  Wells.  Fargo  &  Co.'s  agent  was  on  board.  Tlis 
name  was  Moi-gan.  aiid  he  did  busiiiess  at  all  the  i)laces  where 
the  steamer  stopped  on  the  way  down.  K.  W.  .Moi-se  w;i.s  tht 
agent  of  the  express  com|)an\  in  ( )ld  Town  at  that  tinu'.  This 
[Morgan  was  l)ragging  about  San  Diego  all  the  w;iy  down,  aiul 
telling  m(>  what  a  bi^autifnl  place  it  was. 

We  landed  at  the  old  whart".  near  whece  the  ri\:\\  liiinkers 
[Santa  Fe  Avharves]  now  ai-e,  jind  had  to  wait  there  an  hnni-  for 
a  wagon  to  come  and  take  us  np  to  San  Diego  (Old  Town). 
"Wliile  we  wei'e  waiting.  1  walked  up  to  whei-e  the  coni'tdiouse 
now  is  and  looked  ovei*  the  gi'onnd.  Theiv  was  nothing  there  but 
sage-brush  tlien.  I  thought  S;iii  Diego  must  l)e  a  heaven-on- 
earth.  if  it  was  all  as  fine  as  that  ;  it  seemed  to  me  the  iiest  spot 
for  l)nil(ling  a  city  T  ever  saw. 

I  made  some  iiapiiiMcs  about  who  h;id  been  here  Ijefoi'i-.  Some 
arm_\  officei's  had  come  in  from  tlie  Kast  befoi-e  the  \\;ii-  and 
started  a  town  at  what  Avas  called  Xew  San  Dieuo.  At  the  time 
of  the  discovery  of  gold  the  ]>eople  all  left  that  place.  'Vhrx  said 
there  could  never  be  a  town  thei-e.  When  I  came,  all  the  inhab- 
itants wei'e  at  <>ld  Tdw  II.  'riiere  was  not  a  man  livinir  south  of 
Old  Town  foi-  twenty  miles,  to  the  liead  of  the  Ibiy.  There  was 
one  man  livine-  at  the  head  of  the  iiay  ;  his  luimi'  w;is  Santia«;o 
E.  Argiiello.  The  Spanish  settlements  at  the  old  foi-t  on  Pre- 
sidio Hill,  and  at  the  old  hide  lioMses  near  where  IJoseville  now 
is.  Wi'i-e  entirely  deserted. 

When  we  got  to  (Md  Town.  the_\'  were  takini;  the  <j-oo(ls  out  of 
the  wagon,  and  this  Mr.   Morgan  said  to  me; 

"Well,    llortoii.   how    do  you    like   the   looks  oi'   Sail    I  )ii-_'o 

"Is    this    the    L;reat     San     |)ieL:o    you     were    talkiiiir    so    much 
about  ?"  said  I. 
1  es. 


332 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


"Look  here,  are  you  telling  me  the  truth?" 

"Sure;  this  is  San  Uiego;  what  do  you  think  of  it?" 

"I  Avould  not  give  you  ^5  for  a  deed  to  the  whole  of  it — I 

Mould  Jiot  take  it  as  a  gift.     It  doesn't  lie  right.     Never  in  the 

Avorld  can  you  have  a  eit.y  here." 

]\Ir.  ]\Iorse  was  standing  by  and  heard  this.     He  had  a  store 

in  Old  Town  and  was  one  of  the  iirst  men  here  in  San  Diego. 

He  was  one  of  the  smartest  men  they  had  here,  and  has  always 

been  one  of  our  best  citizens.     When  he  heard  this  he  said  to 


GEORGE   A.    PENDLETON 

A  prominent  figure  of  the  early  days,  who  as  County  Clerk,  called  the  election  in  connection 
with  the  sale  of  Pueblo  lands  to  A.  E.  Horton 


me  (and  these  were  the  first  words  he  ever  spoke  to  me)  : 
"AYhere  do  you  think  the  city  ought  to  be'" 
"Eight  down  there  by  the  wharf,"  I  replied.     "I  have  been 

nearly  all  over  the  Ignited  States,  and  that  is  the  prettiest  place 

for  a  city  I  ever  saw.     Is  there  any  land  there  for  sale?" 

I  thought  then  that  if  I  could  buy  twenty  or  forty  acres  there, 

that  I  would  be  satisfied.     ^Iv.  ^lorse  said : 

"Yi^s,  you  can  buy  ])r()pert.\-  there,  by  having  it  put  up  and 

sold  ;it  auction." 


THE  SPECIAL  ELECTION  333 

I  found  out  that  the  old  city  trustees  were  holding  over.  The 
pueblo  had  some  debts  and  no  income,  so  they  did  not  want  to 
incur  the  expense  of  holding  an  election.  I  said  right  away  that 
that  was  illegal,  that  the  old  trustees  could  not  give  a  good  title 
to  the  property,  and  that  there  would  have  to  be  an  election 
called.  They  could  call  a  special  election  by  giving  ten  days' 
notice,  and  I  asked  who  the  man  was  to  call  the  election.  Morse 
pointed  out  a  tall  man  on  the  other  side  of  the  plaza,  and  said : 

''There  is  jNIr.  Pendleton  crossing  the  plaza.  He  is  county 
clerk  and  clerk  of  the  court  and  can  call  an  election."  I  went 
across  to  meet  this  man,  and  said  to  him: 

"Mr.  Pendleton,  I  came  down  here  to  buy  some  land  and  help 
you  build  up  a  town,  but  I  find  the  old  town  trustees  are  hold- 
ing over  and  cannot  do  anything  legally,  so  I  want  you  to  call 
an  election." 

"I  shan't  do  it,  sir.    The  town  owes  me  enough,  already." 

''Mr.  Pendleton,  how  much  would  it  cost  for  you  to  call  an 
election  .?" 

"Not  less  than  five  dollars." 

I  put  my  hand  in  my  pocket  and  took  out  ten  dollars  and 
handed  it  to  him  and  said:  "TIere  is  ten  dollars:  now  eall  the 
election." 

He  wrote  three  notices  and  I  ])ut  them  uj)  that  night  in  con- 
spicuous places,  and  tliat  was  the  starting  of  San  Diego.  JNIorse 
went  with  me  to  show  nic  what  would  be  good  land  to  get  hold 
of.  and  showed  me  what  is  now  called  Ilorton's  Addition. 

They  had  to  give  ten  days'  notice  before  the  election  could  be 
held.  While  waiting  for  the  time  to  pass,  a  doctor  at  Old  Town 
asked  me  to  go  out  on  the  mesa  with  him  to  shoot  quail.  I  went 
out  on  the  mesa  with  him,  and  I  asked  him  how  it  was  that  since 
coming  here  my  cough  had  left  me-  I  had  had  a  hard  cough 
for  six  mouths  and  began  to  feel  alarmed  about  it. 

""Well,"  he  said,  "that  is  the  way  with  everybody  that  comes 
here.   They  all  get  Avell  right  off,  even  if  they  have  consumption." 

When  Sunday  came,  I  went  to  the  Catholic  church  service  at 
<)1(1  Town.  Father  U])aeh  was  \]\o  priest  in  chai-ge.  and  lie  was 
a  young  man,  then.  AVhcn  Ihey  passed  aroinid  the  plate  I 
noticed  that  the  contril)utions  were  in  small  coins,  and  the  most 
I  saw  put  in  was  ten  cents.  I  had  ^■'•>  in  silver  with  me.  rolled 
U]i,  and  I  put  that  on  the  plate.  Tins  attracted  considerable 
attention,  and  Father  TTbach.  among  the  i-est.  noticed  it.  After 
the  service  he  came  and  talked  with  me:  asked  if  T  was  a  Cath- 
olic. I  said  no.  "What  church  did  T  belong'  to?  T  told  him  none. 
What  was  T  ihovc  for?  T  told  him  abdul  tliat  and  about  the 
election.  He  asked  me  who  I  wanted  for  the  trustees.  I  said 
I  wanted  Fi.  W.  ^Forse  for  one,  and  T  did  not  know  the  business 
men  viM-y  well,  but  I  thought  Jose])h  S.  .Mannasse  and  Thomas 


ALONZO   K.    HORTON,    AS   HE   APPEARED   IN   1S67 


\  i 


"father"  horton  in  his  ninety- fourth  ykak 


336  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

H.  Bush  would  be  satisfactory  for  the  other  two.  He  said 
immediately:  ''You  can  have  them."  When  the  election  came 
off,  these  three  men  were  elected,  having  received  .inst  32 
votes  each. 

^Ir.  ^lorse  was  the  auctioneer.  The  first  tract  put  up  extended 
from  where  the  court-house  now  is,  south  to  the  water  front  and 
east  to  Fifteenth  Street,  and  contained  al)out  200  acres.  My 
first  bid  was  $100,  and  the  people  around  me  began  to  giggle 
and  laugh  when  they  heard  it.  I  thought  they  were  laughing 
because  I  had  bid  so  little,  Ijut  on  inquiring  what  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  pay  for  land,  I  was  told  that  $20  was  a  good  price 
if  the  land  was  smooth,  or  about  $15  if  it  Avas  rough.  I  did  not 
bid  so  much  after  that.  The  pueblo  lands  had  been  surveyed 
into  quarter-sections  by  the  T^'nited  States  surveyors.  I  Avas  the 
only  bidder  on  all  the  parcels  except  one,  and  I  bought  in  all 
about  a  thousand  acres  at  an  average  of  26  cents  an  acre.  On 
a  fractional  section  near  where  Upas  Street  now  is.  Judge  llol- 
lister  bid  $5  over  me.  I  told  him  he  could  have  it,  and  then  he 
begged  me  to  bid  again.  I  finally  raised  him  25  cents,  and  then 
he  would  not  bid  any  more,  but  said : 

"You  can  have  it.  I  wouldn't  give  a  mill  an  acre  for  all 
you've  bought.  That  land  has  lain  there  for  a  million  years, 
and  nobody  has  built  a  city  on  it  yet." 

"Yes,"  i  said,  "and  it  would  lay  there  a  million  years  lonu'er 
without  anv  eitv  beinu'  built  on  it,  if  it  depended  upon  you  to 
doit." 

After  the  auction  and  before  commencing  work  on  my  land. 
I  thought  I  would  go  back  to  San  Francisco  and  close  out  what 
business  I  had  left  there.  I  had  the  deeds  from  the  trustees  put 
on  record  and  then  when  the  steamer  came  took  i")assage  back 
to  San  Francisco.  I  told  my  wife  I  considered  I  had  made  a 
fortune  while  I  had  1)een  away,  and  she  was  wondei-fulh'  well 
pleased. 

I  had  lived  in  San  Francisco  al)0ut  two  years  and  Avas  well 
known  there,  and  after  I  returned  large  crowds  came  to  ask  for 
information  about  the  new  city  by  the  only  harbor  south  of  San 
Francisco.  I  told  them  all  about  the  harbor,  the  climate,  and 
so  forth,  and  what  a  l)eautiful  site  it  was  for  a  citv.  fleneral 
Rosecrans  was  one  of  these  visitors,  although  I  did  not  k'now 
him  at  the  time.  He  came  to  me  a  little  AA'hile  afterward  and 
said  he  had  heard  about  San  Diego  before,  but  had  never  heard 
its  advantages  so  Avell  exi)lained.  He  thought  he  would  like 
to  go  down  and  see  it,  and  to  make  a  trip  from  San  Diego  to 
the  desert,  to  see  if  a  railroad  could  be  built  from  San  Diego 
eastward.  He  said  if  it  could,  my  property  was  worth  a  million 
dollars.  "Well."  T  said,  "come  on."  So  we  came  doAvn  to  San 
Diego  fit  did  not  cost  him  anything  for  steamer  fare),  and  we 


to 


OPINION  OF  ROSECRANS  337 

gut  two  teams,  one  foi"  passeiifrcrs  jiml  lli<'  other  J"oi'  jn'ovisioiis, 
etc.,  and  started.  K.  \V.  .Morsr  and  .In  .\l;iiiiiassc  riirnislK'd  tin.' 
teams,  and  they  and  two  or  tliree  other  people  went  ah)n'r.  We 
went  lii'st  down  to  Tia  Jnana  and  from  there  al)ont  a  hundred 
miles  east  to  .laeumba  I'ass,  where  we  could  see  out  across  the 
desert.  General  Kosecrans  said  to  me:  "Ilorton.  this  is  the  best 
route  for  a  railroad  throuo:h  the  mountains  tliat  I  have  ever 
seen  in  California."  lie  said  he  had  l)een  all  over  the  state,  and 
he  was  now  satisfied  that  Ilorton 's  property  was  well  worth  a 
million  dollars.  I  said:  "I  am  glad  you  are  so  sanguine  about 
the  property."  Coming  back  through  where  San  Diego  now  is, 
he  said  to  me:  "If  I  ever  have  a  lot  in  San  Diego.  I  would  like 
to  have  it  right  here."  I  said  I  would  remember  him  when  the 
survey  was  made,  and  after  it  was  completed  I  made  him  a 
present  of  the  block  bounded  by  Fifth  and  Sixth.  F  and  (r 
streets — block  70,  I  thiid<  it  is.  He  had  not  asked  for  anything 
and  did  not  expect  to  l)e  paid,  l)ut  he  thanked  me  very  kindly. 
Two  years  from  that  time  I  paid  liim  ^4.000  to  get  that  bloek 
back  again,  and  T  sold  lialf  of  it  al'terwai-ds  for  more  than  T 
paid  him. 

After  this  excursion  we  went  l)ack  to  San  Francisco  and  in  a 
few  days  General  Rosecrans  came  to  me  ;ind  said  there  were 
two  men  who  wanted  to  buy  me  out.  I  went  with  him  and  met 
these  men.  Genei-al  Rosecrans  described  the  property  and  we 
talked  it  over  for  half  or  three-quai-ters  of  an  houi-.  and  they 
said  they  would  give  me  $100,000  for  the  property.  I  tliouirht, 
since  they  took  me  up  so  quick  that  they  would  i)robably  give 
more.  General  Rosecrans  told  them  that  in  his  opinion  the  ]>rop- 
erty  was  well  woi-th  a  million  dollars,  and  at  la.st  they  said  they 
woidd  give  me  $200,000.  and  finally  .$250,000.  I  thought  they 
might  not  be  able  to  cari-y  out  their  agreement,  and  also  that  if 
it  was  worth  that  nnieh  T  might  as  well  build  a  city  there  myself 
and  get  the  ])rotits.  General  Rosecrans  asked  me  afterwards 
why  I  (lid  not  accept  the  otTei-.  lie  said  that  I  could  have  lived 
all  my  days  like  a  fiyhting-cock  on  that  nnieh  money,  lie  siiid 
that  they  had  the  money  and  were  abundantly  able  to  fnllill  any 
agreement  they  miglit  make. 

There  was  an  old  building  standing  in  new  S;in  Diego,  about 
•State  and  F  Streets,  on  the  water  front  when  we  landed.  It 
had  been  braeiMl  up  to  kee]i  it  fi'om  falling  down.  It  belouLred 
to  a  man  named  Wni.  II.  Davis  kiniwii  as  "Kanaka"'  Davis,  who 
liad  been  connected  with  new  San  Diego,  but  was  then  livimr  in 
San  Francisco.  I  ])ought  this  ])uildinLr  from  him  with  th(»  lot  it 
stood  on  and  I  think  I  jiaid  liim  .$100  for  them.  A  man  named 
Dunnells  cann^  to  me  to  ask  about  the  ehance  for  starting  a  hotel 
at  San  Diego,  lie  had  been  up  north  somewhere  and  was  look- 
inir  for  a  location,  and  I  wanted  to  Liet  a  hotel  started.     So  T  told 


338 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


hiiM  jihovit  the  ])l;iee  niul  jiboiit  this  old  buikliiiu',  and  he  wanted 
to  know  what  1  would  take  for  it.  I  sold  it  to  him,  with  the  lot, 
for  .1^1,000.  lie  was  afraid  he  would  not  like  the  place,  so  I  told 
him  I  would  take  it  off  his  hands  if  he  did  not :  and  when  he  got 
there  he  liked  the  place  and  the  property.  It  was  a  small  frame 
building-.  Captain  Dunnells  was  a  good  citizen.  He  died  within 
a  year  past.     II is  son  is  chief  pilot  of  San  Diego  harbor. 

AVell,  I  got  everything  closed  up  in  San  Fi-ancisco  and  came 
down  here  and  began  work.     I  surveyed  the  land;  I  also  bea'an 


&\  r. 

^ffUfm:-^^- 

SP"    ^iypf ' 

"f        ^■1 

CAPT.    S.    S.   DUNNELLS 
Proprietor  of  the  first  hotel  in  Morton's  Addition 


the  building  of  a  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Fifth  Street,  in  August, 
1868.  A  man  from  San  Francisco  had  agreed  to  put  in  half 
the  materials  and  do  half  the  work  on  this  wharf,  if  I  would 
give  him  five  blocks  of  land  for  it.  I  agreed  and  he  began  work 
under  this  arrangement ;  but  he  soon  backed  out  and  I  took  it 
off  his  hands  and  finished  the  work  myself.  This  was  the  first 
construction  work  I  did  in  San  Diego.  The  wharf  cost  alto- 
gether $45,000.  This  Judge  Hollister,  th(^  same  man  who  bid 
against  me  for  the  last  parcel  of  land  I  l)ought  from  the  city 


WHEN  LOTS  WERE  CHEAP 


339 


truster's,  was  llic  assessor,  and  lie  asscsscil  this  wliarl'  at  $1)0. 000 
fiiul  tried  In  iiiaki'  iiic  pay  taxes  on  that  valuation,  lint  I  took 
tile  iiiattiT  M|»  with  hi'jhd'  au1  hoi'it  ics.  showed  theni  just  what 
the  wliarl'  had  i-ost.  and  uot   the  assessment  eaneele<l. 

After  the  surve\-  was  inadt',  1  set  to  woi'k  to  jjjct  tiie  town  built 
up.  Thei'e  were  a  number  of  men  who  had  come  hei-e  and  wanted 
work,  and  I  olTered  tliein  lots  at  H^lo  apiece.  Tliei-e  was  a  man 
stopi^ini:  Willi  Dunnells  wiio  had  brouuht  about  ^S.OOO  in  silvei- 
with  liiiii  and  said  he  was  Lt'oin^-  to  buy  proi)erty.     He  said  to 


DUNNELLS'    HOTEL,    CORNER   STATE   AND   F   STREETS 


these  men:  "Don't  pay  it.  you  tools;  you  will  be  i^ivini:'  lloi'- 
ton  somethini;  I'oi-  iiothini:.  Those  lots  oidy  cost  him  about  2«> 
cents  an  aei'e."  They  had  already  ajrreed  to  buy.  but  this  man's 
talk  maile  them  want  to  yo  back  on  tlieii-  bari^ain.  I  went  to 
them  and  said:  "I  umlerstand  Ihat  you  would  like  to  licI  your 
money  back.  There  is  your  money."  1  had  not  yet  made  out 
the  deeds.  1  told  Ihem  that  they  could  each  liavi'  a  lot  free,  on 
condition  tliat  they  would  each  put  uj)  a  house  (»n  Ids  lot  to  be 
at  least  twelve  feet  wide,  sixleen  feet  loutr  and  twelve  feet  hi<_'h. 
covered  with  sliinjifles  or  shakes.  That  I  would  irive  them  an 
insi(h^  lot  on  those  conditions,  but  not  a  coine?-.  and  the  deeds 
to  be  delivered  wluii  tile  buildiiUTs  wcrc  liuislied      Tliev  said  they 


340  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

would  do  that,  and  they  went  ahead  and  put  up  twenty  build- 
ings, down  on  Fifth  Street,  near  the  water  front.  That  was  the 
beginning  of  the  building  of  new  San  Diego.  I  said  to  those 
men:  "Now  you  keep  those  and  take  care  of  them  and  pay  the 
taxes,  and  they  will  make  you  well  off."  But  every  one  of  them 
sold  out  in  a  little  while  for  a  good  price,  except  one  man,  Joseph 
Nash.     He  still  owns  the  lot  he  got  from  me. 

The  next  day  after  I  had  made  this  arrangement,  some  of  the 
men  Avho  had  been  scared  out  of  buying  from  me  came  and  said : 
''Well,  Horton,  I  guess  we  will  take  those  lots  now  at  $10."  I 
said:  "No,  they  will  cost  you  $20  now."  A  few  days  later  I 
raised  them  to  $25,  then  to  $30,  and  sold  them  at  these  prices. 
The  man  who  had  caused  troul)le  with  my  first  purchasers  came 
to  me  and  wanted  to  buy  lots  at  the  increased  prices,  but  I 
refused  to  sell  him  anything,  because  it  was  through  him  that 
these  men  had  backed  out  of  their  trade.  "Not  one  dollar  of 
your  money,  sir."  I  said,  "will  buy  anything  from  me.  If  you 
buy  it  will  be  at  second  hand  from  someone  else."  He  went 
back  to  San  Francisco  and  told  people  there  was  no  use  for  any- 
body to  come  doW'U  here  to  buy  property  from  Horton,  unless 
he  was  a  Republican. 

AVhen  I  went  to  San  Francisco,  I  had  just  come  from  the  war 
and  was  a  black  Repuliliean.  I  talked  my  religion  (Republican- 
ism) freely  in  Old  Town.  A  man  came  to  me  and  said:  "Be 
careful  how  you  talk  politics,  Horton.  What  you  have  already 
said  here  is  as  much  as  your  life  is  worth.  This  is  the  worst 
Copperhead  hole  in  California." 

I  said:  "I  will  make  it  a  Republican  hole  before  I  have  been 
here  very  long. ' ' 

"Well,"  lie  said,  "I  would  like  to  see  the  tools  von  will  do 
it  with." 

At  that  time  I  would  not  employ  a  man  unless  he  Avas  a  Repub- 
lican. Two  years  after  I  started  San  Diego,  I  carried  the  city 
for  the  Republican  ticket,  county  and  state,  and  the  city  and 
county  have  remained  Republican  ever  since. 

Nobody  here  had  any  money  to  hire  men  but  me.  I  employed 
in  l)uilding.  surveying,  working  on  the  wharf,  and  so  on,  about 
a  hundred  men.  I  had  my  office  on  Sixth  Street.  Property  was 
rising  in  value  and  I  was  taking  in  money  fast.  After  a  steamer 
came  in,  I  would  take  in,  for  lots  and  liloeks,  in  a  single  day, 
$5,000.  $10,000,  $15,000,  and  even  $20,000.  I  have  taken  in 
money  so  fast  I  was  tired  of  handling  it. 

There  was  a  man  named  John  Allyn,  who  built  the  Allyn 
Block  on  Fifth  Street.  He  came  down  here  to  see  San  Diego  and 
I  hired  him  to  paper  this  old  building  that  I  had  sold  to  Dun- 
nells.     He  was  four  days  doing  the  work,  and  I  gave  him  for  it 


A  WELL-PAID  WORKMAN 


341 


tlu'  k)t  on  Ihf  soiillu'.ist  (•(.nici-  (»r  Fit'lli  :iii(l  1)  Stivt-ls,  r)Oxl()(). 
He  took  it,  but  said  lio  didii'l   know  wlictlicr  lie  \\<ndd  ovit  ixot 

enouii'li  I'ni-  it  til  iiinko  it  wortli  while  \n  rccoi-d  I  lie  d 1.     It  was 

only  a  year  or  two  later  that  he  sold  il  lor  $'J.(l(l()  to  llic  jtcople 
who  now  own  it.  and  it  is  now  woi-th  over  .^1  ()().( )()().  Allyn  is 
now  dead.  lie  ^ave  ^."^.OOO  1o  the  city  park,  ami  that  was  the 
tirst  donation  that  was  ni.nlr  for  that   |iiii-pose. 


CORNER  OF   FIFTH   AND   D   STREETS   IN    1^72 
Showing  Horton  House,  and  Union  Building  in  course  of  construction 


•lust  north  of  the  Rnss  Lumber  Company's  place  there  were 
al)o>it  a  dozen  houses  which  liad  been  ])uiit  by  people  who  had 
bouirht  lots.  I  said  to  these  j)eopl(>  that  if  they  would  white- 
wash their  houses  I  would  furnish  the  bi'ushes  and  lime.  They 
said  they  could  not  spare  the  time.  \\\\\  1  wanted  it  done  because 
I  thouirht  it  would  look  well  when  the  steamers  came  in.  1  then 
said  that  if  they  would  let  me  whitewasli  one-half  cd'  their  houses, 
on  the  seaward  sid<'s,  I  would  furnish  the  materials  and  ilo  the 
wnik.  'i'hey  consented,  and  so  I  hired  men  .md  had  the  liouses 
Avhitewashed  on  the  south  and  west  sides,     'i'hen  tln-v  waided  me 


342  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

to  whitewash  them  all  over,  and  I  woiihl  not  do  it.  but  still 
ottered  to  furnish  the  brushes  and  lime,  so  they  tinally  finished 
the  job  themselves.  The  houses  then  made  a  fine  show  and  peo- 
ple coming  in  on  the  steamers  thought  the  town  was  growing 
\'ery  fast. 

I  commenced  building  the  Norton  Hfmse  in  January,  1870, 
and  finished  it  in  just  nine  months  to  a  day  from  the  time  I 
turned  the  first  shovelful  of  dirt.  It  cost  me"$15(K000,  finished, 
furnished  and  painted.  There  were  96  sleeping  rooms  in  the 
Horton  House,  besides  a  dining  room,  reading  room,  bar,  and 
office.  The  main  wing  was  three  stories  high  and  the  balance 
two.  It  was  built  of  brick  made  here  and  they  cost  it>ll  a  thou- 
sand. I  l)()ught  two  steamer  loads  of  lumber  and  used  it  in 
the  Imilding. 

I  began  the  bank  Imilding  just  about  the  time  I  moved  into 
the  Hoi'ton  House.  This  is  the  ])uilding  on  the  southwest  corner 
of  Third  and  D  Streets,  where  the  Union  has  its  offices.  It  was 
built  of  the  same  kind  of  brick  that  the  Horton  House  was.  The 
strongest  vault  in  California  today,  I  think,  is  in  that  building. 
A  hole  was  dug  down  to  hard  gravel  and  a  foundation  laid  upon 
it  with  cement  and  broken  bottles.  There  were  either  four  or 
six  pieces  of  stone  about  18  inches  thick,  24  inches  wide  and  12 
feet  long  for  the  foundation,  laid  on  top  of  this  foundation. 
The  building  was  finished  in  about  a  year.  I  used  the  l)uil(l- 
ing  myself — had  my  ofiice  in  the  corner  rooms  upstairs  f(n'  my 
land  business,  and  the  downstairs  part  was  fitted  up  for  a  bank. 
The  building  was  intended  for  the  Texas  and  Pacific  Railroad, 
but  they  never  occupied  it. 

I  was  president  of  the  old  San  Diego  Bank  when  it  was  first 
organized,  but  I  resigned  soon  after  and  Mr.  Xesmith  became 
its  president.  I  was  doing  more  business  than  the  bank  was; 
I  told  them  they  were  too  slow  for  me.  I  used  to  keep  my 
nioney  in  th,>  old  Pacific  Bank,  at  San  Francisco,  and  I  would 
give  Klauber,  :\Iarston  and  others  certificates  on  that  bank,  and 
they  used  these  certificates  as  checks  to  pay  their  bills  with. 

The  ])rop(M'ty  I  have  given  away  in  San  Diego  and  never 
received  a  cent  for  is  now  worth  over  a  million  dollars.  Out- 
side of  this,  I  liave  received,  as  I  can  show  from  my  books,  from 
the  sale  of  property,  over  a  million  dollars  in  San  Diego. 

I  put  up  about  fifty  residences  in  Middletown  for  people  who 
had  come  out  here  during  the  l)oom  and  wanted  to  get  prop- 
erty cheap.  None  of  these  houses  cost  less  than  $500  ^  one  cost 
$3,000,  and  the  rest  cost  $1,500  apiece.  I  rented  these  build- 
ings to  peoi)le  who  were  waiting  to  buy.  at  $5  a  month.  As 
soon  as  things  began  to  go  down  and  rents  were  cheap,  many 
of  these  i)eople  left  my  buildings.     I  was  once  offered  $30,000 


TAMING  A  MONOPOLY  343 

for  -M)  of  tlicsc  hiiildiiiijs,  \)\  iicopli'  ulm  w.mlrd  lu  Imy  i-iu'lit 
ol'f  ;iml   move   iiiln   ihciii. 

After  1  liiid  Imilt  llir  II(irt(iii  lloiisc.  I  wciil  In  S;iii  I'-riiti- 
ciseo  to  j^i't  Jit'ii  llnllidjiy  lo  pill  down  llii-  sti';iiiicr  fare  and 
frei^'lit.  The  frciiilil  was  $1.")  a  tmi  I'n'in  San  b'raiicisco  to  Sail 
Dieo'o.  and  passenger  Tai-fs  wwo  $G(l  a  i-oiitid  trip,  Ilnlliday 
was  the  j)riiieipal  owner  of  the  steamship  line  lie  saiil  t*)  nii' : 
"Mr.  llorton.  1  am  funnin«:-  these  steamers  lo  make  money,  and 
1  am  not  <z()inji'  to  put  tlie  fi-eiyht  ni-  passeiigt'r  rates  down.  I 
shan't  put  them  down  at   all." 

"Then.""  T  sai<l.  "I   shall  have  to  do  the  best  T  can." 

"  Well,   what    will   yon   do  .'"" 

'■|    will   put   oil   an   opposilioii    line,   il    I    can    liiid   a   sIcaiiiiT. 

"Well,  you   do   il,   if  yoii    can.   and  l>e  damned!" 

IloUiday  was  a  rouiih  talking  uian.  At'lci-  T  had  left  his 
ot^cc  I  went  lip  >h>nlL;omery  Street  and  tliei-c  I  met  a  man 
named  (Jeorge  AV.  Wi'iulil.  who  was  the  owner  of  the  st<'amer 
Wni.  Tdlx  r.  which  had  Just  come  ai'oiind  llic  Horn.  lie  said 
to  me:  ■Jloi-toii.  if  you  will  oive  me  one-iialf  tlie  freitrht  you 
ai-e  iiiviu':  to  llolliday  c^:  Co..  I  will  put  the  steamer  Talx  r  on 
as  an  op|)osition  line  to  San  Die'jo."" 

I  said  if  he  put  tlie  fnMght  <lo\\  n  froui  sf;!.")  a  ton  to  H^!'  a  Ion, 
and  passeuger  fares  rroin  .'+=(iii  to  .+:!(i  a  round  trij)  from  San 
Fraiieiseo  to  San  Diego,  he  should  have  one-liall'  of  the  freiuhl. 

He  said:.  "1  don't  know  whether  I  can  rely  on  that  or  not. 
Show  me  how  you  are  situated." 

I  said  to  him:  "I  am  emj^loying  in  San  Diego  a  hundred 
men.  1  will  tell  them  thai  if  they  (h>n"t  su|)port  tlie  opposition 
line,  I  will  tell  tluMii  that  theii-  time  is  out  aii<1  they  .-an  <_'o 
wherever  they  ean  do  l)etter. "" 

"What   would  you  advise  me  to  do.'"'  he  asked. 

"I  would  advise  you  to  i)ut  into  the  news])a|ters — all  td'  tln-m 
— a  uotiee  that  you  will  eari-y  freight  lietweeii  San  Fraiieiseo 
and  San  Diego  foi-  ^0  a  ton  and  pas.seugers  foi-  ^'^0  a  round  trip 
or  $15  each  way.  I  w  ill  take  the  stage  and  ride  ni'jht  and  da\ 
till  T  get  to  San  Diego,  and  atteud  to  that  end  of  it." 

When  the  stt^aiuei's  came  in.  the  Tahrv  was  loaded  down  to 
the  Liunwale  with  freiizht  and  passeuL'ers.  liiit  the  ()ri:<thii  hatl 
not  enouLrh  pa.ssengers  to  pay  for  the  liiihls  they  wei-e  hurniiii.' 
on  the  sliip.  It  went  that  way.  as  Jiear  as  I  ean  rememher.  about 
two  jiionths.  Then  llolliday  went  to  "Wright  and  asked  him  to 
take  off  the  oi)|)ositiou  .steamer,  and  how  much  he  would  take 
to  keep  it  off  foi-  tlireo  yeaiN.  Wriiiht  said  he  wanted  $300. 01)0. 
"Well,  what  will  you  take  i'or  kcepinu!  it  otV  for  only  a  .Near.'" 
Wright  said  .$100,000,  hut  that  he  would  have  to  send  dt»wn  for 
llorton  and  see  him  about  it  lirst.      'What,  has  llorton  L'ot  any- 


344  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

thing  to  say  about  it  ? "  "  Yes. "  "  The  hell  he  has  !  Well,  send 
for  Ilorton."  So  Wright  sent  for  nie  and  I  went  np  to  San 
Francisco  and  Wright  told  llollida y :  "Ilorton  has  come  and 
is  at  the  Occidental  Hotel." 

"Well,  ask  him  to  come  to  my  office." 

"Horton  has  told  me  he  wonld  never  set  foot  in  yonr  office 
again  and  yon  know  it.  Yon  will  have  to  go  up  to  the  hotel  to 
see  him,  for  Ilorton  will  not  come  down  here." 

"Horton's  pretty  damned  independent,  isn't  he?" 

"Yes,  and  he  is  able  to  be." 

"Well,  Jesse  [speaking  to  his  brother,  Jesse  Holliday],  come 
along  and  let's  go  up  and  see  Horton." 

Well,  they  came  up  to  the  hotel  where  I  was  stopping,  and 
Wright  told  them  about  the  arrangements  thev  had  with  me. 

"Well"  said  Holliday,  "I  will  agree  to  that." 

"Well,"  I  said.  "I  want  you  to  agree  further  never  to  raise 
the  rates  for  freight  (u-  passengers." 

He  said  he  would  not  agree  to  that. 

"Well,  gentlemen,"  I  said,  "you  can  sit  here  as  long  as  you 
like;  I  have  other  business  to  attend  to;"  and  I  took  my  hat 
and  started  for  the  door.  They  called  me  back,  and  after  some 
further  talk,  agreed  to  my  demands.  I  said  to  them  then : 
"Before  this  business  is  closed,  we  will  have  a  lawyer  come  here, 
and  you  wnll  sign  an  agreement  never  to  raise  the  freight  or 
passenger  rates."  He  didn't  want  to  do  it.  but  I  said:  "Do 
it,  or  I'll  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  you;"  so  finally  he 
agreed  to  that.  Holliday  paid  Wright  bis  $100,000,  and  he 
went  out  of  the  business.  That  was  a  benefit  to  Los  Angeles, 
too,  because  freight  rates  were  reduced  to  that  point. 

The  landing  for  Los  Angeles  was  San  Pedro.  The  old  Taher 
lies  today  up  above  Rio  Vista,  where  she  has  been  run  ever  since 
she  was  taken  off.  The  Orizaba  continued  to  run.  for  years.  I 
don't  know  just  when  she  stopped  rnnning.  Captain  Johnson 
Avas  her  ca])tain. 

Just  after  I  had  moved  into  the  Ilorton  House,  a  man  in  the 
employ  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  came  down 
here  to  see  if  he  could  get  subscriptions  enough  to  build  the 
telegraph  line  from  Los  Angeles  to  San  Diego.  After  he  had 
been  around  and  raised  what  he  could,  he  was  sitting  in  the 
stage  waiting  for  it  to  start,  to  return  to  Los  Angeles.  He 
called  me  out  there  and  told  me  he  could  not  get  help  enough 
to  warrant  building  the  line  down  from  Los  Angeles :  he  thought 
perhaps  it  could  be  done  after  a  year.  I  said:  "What  will  it 
cost  to  build  the  line  from  Los  Angeles?"  He  said  that  he 
lacked  about  $5,000  of  having  enough.  I  said:  "What  will 
you  give  me  if  I  make  up  the  amount?"     He  said:     "If  you 


SALE  OF  THE  PLAZA  345 

will  subscribe  onc-hali'  llic  aniounl  \\v  lack,  \vc  will  yivc  yuu 
one-half  the  earniugs  of  the  telegraph  for  three  years.  We  will 
send  an  operator  down  here,  and  you  to  Tui-nish  an  office  aud 
pay  him  ,$50  a  month."  I  said:  "I  will  take  it."  He  said: 
"Shake  hands  on  it,  sir!"  So  we  shook  hands,  and  in  one 
month  from  that  time  they  had  the  instruments  in  working 
order  in  the  Horton  House.  Quite  a  number  of  people  around 
town  had  subscribed,  but  there  was  not  enough  i)ledged  to  secure 
the  line.  E.  W.  JNIorse  was  appointed  to  collect  the  subscrip- 
tions, but  I  furnished  the  $5,000  that  was  lacking  to  secure  the 
extension.  Within  three  years  I  got  my  money  back  and  a 
little  more. 

1  never  parted  with  the  title  to  the  Plaza  until  I  sold  it  to 
the  city,  but  had  reserved  it  for  my  own  use  and  for  the  Hor- 
ton House.  People  got  to  talking  about  wanting  to  buy  it  and 
to  put  different  Jjuildings  on  the  ground.  I  told  them  they 
could  have  it  for  the  city,  if  they  would  pay  me  $10,000  for  it. 
and  they  agreed  to  do  it.  Before  the  sale  was  closed,  a  nuui 
from  Massachusetts  wanted  that  ground,  and  after  he  had  exam- 
ined the  title  offered  me  $50,000  for  it.  I  went  to  the  men  I 
had  had  most  of  the  talk  with,  and  ask(>d  them  if  they  would 
not  let  me  sell  to  this  man,  instead  of  to  the  city.  "Well,"  they 
said,  "we  want  it  for  the  city,  and  we  should  think  you  would, 
too."  "Yes,"  I  said.  "I  did  want  the  city  to  have  it."  "Well, 
you  agreed  to  let  the  city  have  it  for  $10,000  aud  we  think  you 
ought  to  stand  by  your  bargain."  "Very  well,  then."  I  said, 
"let  me  have  $100  a  month  until  it  is  paid  for,"  and  that  is  the 
way  the  ari-angement  was  made,  to  pay  me  $10,000  in  monthly 
payments  of  $100  uiilil  it  was  paid  for.  Tluit  is  the  full  history 
of  the  Plaza. 

After  I  got  moved  into  the  Horton  House,  I  went  to  Wash- 
ington to  see  about  getting  the  Scott  Railroad.  Scott  and  some 
other  people  in  the  East  wanted  to  build  a  railroad  from  El 
Paso  Avest,  but  they  did  not  make  any  provision  for  building 
from  San  Diego  east.  I  saw  how  this  was,  and  so  1  got  up  one 
morning,  took  moue.w  and  went  ofif  to  Washington  without 
waiting  to  consul!  nnyoiie  about  it.  When  1  got  to  Washington. 
T  went  to  Scott  and  said: 

"I  see  your  bill  is  up  and  1  don't  know  whether  it  will  pa.ss 
or  not,  but  it  depends  ujiou  one  thing:  You  have  agreed  in 
your  bill  to  build  one  hundred  miles  a  year,  commencing  at  Kl 
Paso,  this  way;  and  you  have  agreed  to  nothing  from  San  Die«r<) 
east.  Now,  unl(>ss  you  will  agree,  and  have  it  put  in  the  ])ill. 
that  you  shall  build  fifty  miles  a  year  east  from  San  Diei^o  ami 
fifty  miles  west  from  El  Paso,  your  bill  is  lost." 

"'Well."  said  Scott,  "how  do  you  know  you  can  defeat  it?" 


346  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

I  said:  "Tomorrow  or  next  day  your  l)ill  comes  up,  and  you 
are  beaten.  If  you  can  get  that  bill  fixed  right,  I  can  help  you 
to  pass  it." 

S.  S.  ("Sunset")  Cox  was  in  Congress  then,  and  had  .iust 
made  a  speech  against  tliis  bill.  When  I  first  got  there,  I  went 
to  see  our  Congressman.  He  was  from  San  Jose.  A  man  from 
New  Orleans,  our  Congressman,  and  Cox  were  the  committee  in 
charge  of  the  bill,  and  Cox  said  that  if  Scott  would  consent  to 
amend  it,  he  (Cox)  would  help  get  the  Democratic  votes  neces- 
sary to  pass  it,  notwithstanding  he  had  already  made  a  speech 
against  the  bill.     This  was  done  in  half  an  hour. 

So  then  I  told  Scott  about  Cox  and  the  arrangement  I  had 
made  with  him.  I  got  Scott  and  the  committee  together  in  the 
library  of  the  Capitol,  and  they  agreed  to  change  the  bill  the 
way  I  wanted  it.  Of  course,  Cox  could  not  vote  for  the  bill 
after  having  made  a  speech  against  it.  l)ut  he  got  leave  of 
absence  and  went  home  for  a  few  days  when  it  was  about  to  be 
voted  on.  After  securing  his  leave  of  absence  he  started  off 
without  having  arranged  with  his  friends  to  vote  for  the  bill. 
I  reminded  him  of  it  .just  in  time,  and  he  said:  "Oh,  my  God! 
I  had  forgotten  all  about  that."  Then  he  went  back  and  talked 
with  about  twenty-five  of  his  Dt^nocratic  fi'iends,  and  wlien  the 
})ill  came  up  for  a  vote,  it  passed. 

I  went  to  Washington  three  times  on  this  business,  after  I 
got  into  the  Horton  House,  and  it  cost  me  altogether  $8,000. 
I  got  Scott,  one  senator,  and  two  or  three  congressmen  and  oth- 
ers who  were  helping  with  the  road,  to  come  out  here,  and  they 
all  stopped  with  me  at  the  Horton  House.  (This  was  Aug- 
ust 30,  1872.) 

Scott  was  satisfied  with  the  proposition,  and  so  he  let  a  con- 
tract to  grade  25  miles,  from  25th  Street  to  Rose  Canyon,  and 
10  miles  were  uraded  and  Scott  paid  for  it.  [Horton  threw  the 
first  shovelful  of  dii-t.  April  21,  1873.] 

Scott  went  to  Paris  and  made  an  agreement  to  sell  his  bonds 
there,  and  they  were  getting  everything  ready  in  order  to  close 
the  transaction.  They  called  him  "the  railroad  king"  in  the 
United  States  at  that  time.  He  had  an  invitation  to  dine  with 
the  crowned  heads  of  Europe,  in  Belgium.  He  did  not  tell  the 
Paris  l)ankers  where  he  was  going,  but  went  off  and  was  gone 
thirty-six  hours.  In  twelve  hours  after  he  left,  they  had  every- 
thing ready  to  pay  over  the  money  at  the  bank.  They  went  to 
the  place  where  he  had  been  stopping  and  inquired,  and  sent 
in  every  direction  to  find  him,  and  even  telegraphed  to  Eng- 
land, but  could  not  hear  from  him.  During  the  time  before  he 
got  back.  Jay  Cooke  and  Company  failed,  and  when  he  got  back 
to  Paris,  they  said  to  him : 


AN  EXPENSIVE  DINNER  347 

''Mr.  Scott,  il'  yoii  liad  Ix'cii  here  ;i  t'cu  Ihphi's  jiiro  iiistciid  nl" 
takiiiy:  dinner  with  the  crowned  licads.  you  would  have  had 
your  twelve  million  (lnlLirs.  Now.  wc  havf  h)st  confidence  and 
cannot  take  your  bunds." 

Scott  telegraphed  me  how  it  was.  1  had  put  u|i  tiic  hank 
huihlini:.  wliei'e  the  Union  otiice  now  is,  as  I  said,  for  ium.  and 
he  hail   aLireed  to  liive   me  .$45, 000   foi'   it.      lie  teleiri-a piled   me: 

"1  have  lost  the  sale  of  my  bonds  and  am  a  ruined  man.  1 
don't  know  whether  I  shall  ever  be  able  to  ^et  my  head  above 
Avater  a^^ain.  J)o  the  best  you  ean.  I  shall  not  be  able  to  ful- 
fill the  contracts  I  have  with  you." 

This  failure  hurt  me  severely.  People  who  had  bouirht  land 
of  me  heard  of  the  failure,  and  tlie.\-  met  in  front  (»f  the  bank 
buildint:'  and  sent  for  me.  T  went  ovei-  there  and  they  asked 
me  to  take  the  property  back,  and  said  1  was  welcome  to  all 
they  had  paid  if  I  would  oidy  iiive  up  the  conti'acts.  I  told 
them  nobody  should  bi-  deceived,  and  how  Scott  had  failed  and 
would  not  be  able  to  live  up  to  his  contract.  I  i)aid  Ihem  back 
dollar  for  dollar;  every  man  who  had  made  payments  on  account 
of  land  purchase  irot  it  liack. 

I  had  ^iveii  22  blocks  of  land  at  the  northwest  eiirnei-  of  llor- 
ton's  Addition,  as  a  conti'ibut ion  toward  <iettin^-  the  tii'st  I'ail- 
roatl  to  come  here.  I  lost  them,  and  the  railroad  never  was 
Imilt. 

This  refers,  of  course,  to  the  Texas  and  I'aeilic.  When  Ilunt- 
inj^ton,  ('rocker,  and  some  othei-  Southern  I'aeilic  ofticials  came 
here  (there  were  five  in  the  |)aity>,  1  entei-tained  them  at  the 
lloi'ton   House  and  did  not  char«re  them  a  cent. 

llunlinetou  said:  "If  >(>u  will  udve  us  one-half  of  the  pi-op- 
erty  you  have  a^n'ced  to  i:ive  Tom  Scott,  we  will  build  the  i'oa<l 
from  here  to  Fort  Yuma."  1  tohl  them  we  could  not  do  it. 
They  sent  an  en^dneer  to  <i()  ovei-  the  ground  that  had  already 
beejl   surveyed    b\'    Scott. 

Tp  at  Los  Anjreles,  the\-  had  ayrt'cd  to  build  a  i-oad.  and  had 
it  as  far  as  from  Los  Anjreles  to  S;ni  Bernardino,  and  there 
they  came  to  a  stand.  They  told  the  Los  Antreles  jieople  if  they 
would  trive  them  $400,000  to  help  them  <ret  throuefh  a  certain 
piece  of  laml  to  the  desert  (San  (Jor.ironio  Passi.  they  would 
<ro  on  throuLrh  there;  otherwise  they  would  liuild  the  I'oad  to 
San  DicLio  and  from  there  to  I'l.ini  Yuma.  .Mayor  lla/./.ard  fold 
the  ])eople  of  Los  Aiiyfcles  that  if  they  did  tliat.  li(»s  Antreles 
would  lie  nothiuiT  but  a  way-station,  and  the  only  way  to  save 
the  city  was  to  atrree  to  lmvc  them  the  money  they  wanted.  They 
did  this,  ami  that  was  the  reason  the  Southei'n  Pacific  was  not 
built  to  San  Diejro.  The  ol)jection  the\  had  In  cominir  here. 
th»\v  said,  was  because  they  could  not  eonipete  with  water  trans- 


348 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


portation,   aiul   therefore   it   would   not  be  to  their  interests  to 
come  to  a  place  where  they  would  have  to  compete  with  water. 
[This  is  the  end  of  Mr.  TTorton's  "own  story."] 

THE  DEED   TO   HORTON'S  ADDITION 

When  Ilorton  came  along  and  i)roposecl  to  buy  lands  from 
the  town,  no  meeting  of  the  trustees,  and  no  election,  had  been 
held  for  two  years.  Horton  insisting  upon  it,  a  special  election 
was  called,  and  E.  W.  Morse,  Thomas  11.  Bush,  and  J.  S.  Man- 


JOSEPH   S.    MANNASSE 
Conspicuous  in  business  and  political  affairs  in  San  Diego  before  and  during  the  boom 


nasse  elected  trustees.     This  board  met  and  organized  on  April 
30,  1867,  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  reading  as  follows : 

Organization  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  for  the  City  of  San 
Diego,  California. 

April   30,   1867. 

The  new  Board,  consisting  of  J.  S.  Mannasse,  E.  W.  Morse, 
and  Thomas  H.  Bush,  chosen  at  the  election  held  the  27th  day 
of  April,   1867,  met  and  Organized  by  Electing  J.   S.  Mannasse 


DEED  TO  HORTON  349 

President,     E.     W.     Morse     Treasurer,     and     'I'Ikhii.is      II.     Hush 
Secretary. 

On  iiiutiou  of  1"].  W.  Morse  it  was  Ixcsolvet.!  tliat  an  mdcr  l)e 
entered  for  the  .Sale  of  certain  farming  Lauds  of  the  city  prop- 
erty. Said  Sale  to  take  place  on  the  10th  day  of  May,  1.SG7, 
at  the  Court  House. 

On  Motion.  Iln'  Board  adjounicd  to  meet  Tursilay  l']\'cning 
May    11,    18G7. 

Approved, 

Thomas  II.  Bush,  J.  S.  Mann.\.'5se, 

Secretary.  President. 

Tlie  sale  was  held  at  the  eonr't  liousc^  in  old  San  Dieyo,  on 
Friday,  May  10,  1867.  The  sheriff  (-James  McCoy j  was  the 
])roi)er  offieial  to  act  as  auctioneer,  but  Mv.  Morse  acted  in  liis 
place  as  deputy.  .Mi-,  lloi-ton  bought  six  160-acre  lots,  960  acres 
in  all,  for  an  a ti'i;- regale  sum  of  $265,  a  litllc  over  27  cents  an 
acre,  and  two  parcels  were  sold  to  other  parties  at  1  he  same 
tiine.  Tlie  tollowing  is  a  copy  of  the  minutes  of  lln-  next  ensu- 
ing meeting  of  the  trustees,  at  wliicti  the  sab  was  confirmed 
and  the  deed  issued: 

Special  Meeting 
May  11,  1867. 

All  the  members  of  the  Board  ])resent.  Tin-  Board  con- 
veyed by  Deed  the  following  Lots  of  land  purchased  hy  A.  E. 
Horton,   May   10th: 

Eleven   hundred   and  Forty-Six  1  1  Hi 

Eleven  Imndred  and  Forty-Seven  1147 

Eleven  hundred  and  Fifty-Six  ll.lO 

Eleven  hundred  and  Forty-Five  1145 

Eleven   hundred   and   Thirty-Four  n.'i4 

Eleven   hundred   and   Thirty-Three  1133 

At  the  City  Land  Sale  held  at  tlie  Court  House  on  {"ilday, 
May  10,  1867,  the  following  Lands  were  sold  and  account  pre- 
sented of  such   1o   the   lioard,  by  James  McCoy,   Auctioneer: 

Purchaser  Price 

]  146  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Forty-Six.  .A.  E.  Horton 
1147  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Forty-Seven. .A.  E.  Horton 
1156  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Fifty-Six.  .  A.  E.  Horton  !i>15n.no 
1145  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Forty-Five.  .A.  K.  Horton  40.00 
1134  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Thirty-Four.. A.  E.  Horton  20.00 
1133  Lots  Eleven  hundred  and  Thirty-Three.. A.  E.  TToiton  .■')5.00 
1173  Lots  Eleven    hundred  and   Seventy-Three 

J.    S.    Murray 20.50 

Fractional  Lot  l.ving  between  Eleven  hun- 
dred and  Fifty-Six  and  Elev<'n  hundred  and 
Fifty-Seven,   to   Edw.-ird    Hcuck 9.50 


$295.00 

On  motion  of  .T.  S.  'NFaunasse  it  was  resolved  to  advertise 
City  Jjands  for  Sale,  on  the  third  <lay  of  June,  ^f^Cu,  at  imblit; 
Auction,  and  the  Secretary  be  ordered  to  post  Notices  of  tlie 
S.Muic,    in    1hr(e   conspicuous   yilaces. 


350  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

On  Motion  Meeting  Adjourned  to   meet  June   10,  1867. 

Approved, 
Thumas  H.  Bush,  J.  8.  Maxxasse, 

Secretary.  President. 

The  deed  was  made  and  recorded  the  same  day.  It  was  siyned 
by  ]\I()rse  and  Bush.  Mannasse  not  siguiug,  and  witnessed  by 
C.  A.  .Johnson.    A  full  copy  of  this  deed  is  given  below: 

This  indenture  made  this  eleventh  day  of  May,  A.  D.  one 
thousand  eiglit  hundred  and  sixty-seven,  between  E.  W.  Morse 
and  Thomas  H.  Bush,  Trustees  of  the  City  of  San  Diego,  Coun- 
ty of  San  Diego,  State  of  California,  parties  of  the  first  part, 
and  A.  E.  Horton,  of  the  same  iilaee,  party  of  the  second  part, 
Witnesseth,  That  whereas  at  a  sale  at  public  auction  of  lots 
of  said  City  of  San  Diego,  after  due  notice  given  of  the  same, 
according  to  law,  on  the  tenth  day  of  May,  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty-seven,  by  the  said  parties  of  the  first  part.  Trustees 
of  said  City  as  aforesaid,  the  said  party  of  the  second  part 
bid  for  and  became  the  jnirchaser  of  the  following  described 
]u-operty  and  that  said  property  was  then  and  there  sold  and 
struck  off  to  the  said  party  of  the  second  part — as  the  highest 
and   best   bidder   thereof. 

Now  therefore  the  parties  of  the  first  part,  Trustees  of  the 
said  City  as  aforesaid  for  themselves  and  their  successors 
in  oflSce,  by  virtue  of  authority  in  law  in  them  vested — and 
for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  dollars  to  them  in  hand  paid  by  the  said  party  of  the 
second  part,  the  receipt  whereof  is  hereby  acknowledged,  have 
granted,  sold,  released  and  quitclaimed  and  by  these  presents, 
do  grant,  sell,  release  and  quitclaim  unto  the  said  ])arty  of 
the  second  part,  his  heirs  and  assigns  forever,  all  tlie  right, 
title,  interest  or  claim  whatsoever,  of  the  said  party  of  the 
first  jiart,  or  their  successors  in  office  in  and  to  the  following 
described  property,  situate  in  the  boundary  of  said  City,  to 
wit:  Lots  eleven  hundred  and  forty-six  (1146).  eleven  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  (1147),  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-six 
(1156),  eleven  hundred  and  forty-five  (1145),  eleven  hundred 
and  thirty-four  (1134),  and  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-three 
(1133),  and  designated  upon  the  official  map  of  said  city, 
made  by  Charles  H.  Poole  in  the  year  1856.  Together  with  all 
and  singular  the  ways,  streets,  rights,  hereditaments  and  ap- 
purtenances thereunto  belonging  or  in  any  wise  appertaining. 
To  have  and  to  hold  the  aforesaid  jiremises,  hereby  granted 
to  the  said  jjarty  of  the  second  part,  his  heirs  and  assigns 
forever. 

In  witness  whereof  the  said  parties  of  the  first  ]iait  have 
hereunto  set  their  hanrls  and  seals  the  day  and  year  first 
alio\-e    writt(  u. 

E.  W.  Morse,  (Seal) 

Thomas  H.  Bush,  (Seal) 

Trustees. 

Signed,   sealed    and    delivered    in    presence   of    C.    A.    Johnson. 


ATTACKING  HORTON'S  TITLE  351 

State  of  C'alifornhi       i 

y  ss. 
County  of  San  Diego  ) 

On  tliis  clevonth  da}'  of  Alay,  A.  I),  one  ■  t  lumsand  cij'lit 
iuuulred  and  sixty-seven,  before  me  t!.  A.  Pendleton,  Cniinty 
Clerk  and  ex-offii-io  Clerk  of  the  County  Court  in  and  for  said 
County,  personally  apiitared  E.  W.  Morse  and  Thomas  II. 
Bush,  personally  known  to  me  to  be  the  individuals  deseribed 
in  and  who  executed  the  annexed  instrument  and  they  acknowl- 
edged to  me  that  the}'  executed  the  same  freely  and  vohuitarily 
and  for  the  uses  and  purposes  therein  mentioned. 

In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  aflixed 
the  seal  of  said  Court  in  this  County  the  day  and  year  in  this 
Certificate   first  above  written. 

G.    A.    I'KNDl.K'IdX, 

Cl.rk. 
(Seal) 

Received  for  record  on  Saturday,  May  II,  1S()7,  at  (J  1'.  M., 
and  recorded  on  Saturday,  May  11,  1867,  at  8  o'clock  P.  M., 
at  request  of  A.   E.   Ilorton. 

G.  A.  Pendlktox. 
County    Recorder. 
(Fifty     cents.  ) 

(U.  S.  Rev.  Stamp) 
(E.  W.  ]\r.  T.  IT.  B.) 
(May     11,      1S67      ) 

These  proceedings  did  not  escape  attack.  When  it  Ix^ciinn' 
apparent  that  the  new  town  would  be  a  success,  a  niniilxT  of 
suits  were  bronyht  for  the  purpose  of  settino;  aside  the  deed 
from  tlie  tru.stees  to  Horton.  Pn-liaps  the  most  famous  of  these 
was  the  suit  of  Charles  IT.  De  Wolf  versus  Tlorton,  Mors-e.  and 
liush.  brought  in  September,  1869,  in  which  Judge  Henjamin 
Hayes  was  the  plaintiff's  attorney.  It  was  alleged  that  the  pi'o- 
ceedings  leading  up  to  the  eonvexanee  were  irregular  in  several 
respects.  The  owners  of  the  ex-mission  lanclio  also  brought  suit 
to  extend  1  licit'  boundai-ies  ovfi-  Ibirton's  Addition,  claiming 
that  the  i)uel)lo  lands  should  eoin|)iMse  four  leagiu^s,  instead  of 
eleven.  There  were  rumors  that  there  was  eollusion  between 
Ilorton,  Morse,  Bush,  and  others,  by  which  the  trustees  profited 
t»y  the  sah'.  S(mie  excitement  rose  at  one  time  and  ■"land  .ininp- 
ing"  began:  but  the  ]it»ople  of  San  Diego  took  i)i'ompl  action. 
]mlled  down  and  ])urned  the  fences  erected  around  some  blocks 
the  "jumpers"  were  attempting  to  claim,  and  soon  suppressed 
their  enterprise.  Horton  "s  litlc  was  sustained  in  all  llic  coui'ts 
ami    tlic   suits   ended    in    smoke. 


CHAPTER  III 

EARLY  RAILROAD  EFFORTS,  INCLUDING  THE  TEXAS  &  PACIFIC 

I  HE  railroad  ambition  found  early  lodgment  in 
the    San   Diego    heart    and   the    passion    has 

TW\  endured  through  the  years.  Indeed,  ever 
jvv\  since  railroads  came  into  existence  men 
^\v\  have  appreciated  the  importance  of  a  direct 
eastern  outlet  for  the  seaport.  In  the  dreamy 
days  of  Mexican  rule,  away  back  in  the  30 's, 
they  were  discussing  ways  and  means  to 
accomplish  the  great  end,  but  it  was  not  until  the  American 
began  to  dominate  the  land  that  any  organized  effort  was  made. 
In  the  early  50 's  an  agitation  began  for  the  construction  of 
a  railroad  on  the  32d  parallel.  Congressional  action  was  secured 
for  the  preliminary  surveys,  and  in  May,  1853,  Colonel  J.  Bank- 
head  Magruder,  president  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  published  his  report.  In  January,  1854:,  Colonel 
Andrew  B.  Gray  started  out  to  make  his  "survey  of  a  route 
for  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  on  the  32d  parallel,"  for  the 
Texas  Western  Railroad  Company.  This  report  was  not  pub- 
lished until  1856,  but  the  people  of  San  Diego  were  fully 
informed  of  the  undertaking  and  its  results.  Both  these  reports 
are  extant  and  both  are  of  great  value. 

Different  statements  have  been  made  as  to  who  was  entitled 
to  the  credit  for  originating  the  first  railroad  corporation  in 
San  Diego.  The  account  most  generally  credited  seems  to  be 
that  it  was  due  to  Judge  James  W.  Robinson  and  Louis  Rose. 
They  were  both  from  the  South  and  doubtless  well  informed  as 
to  the  feeling  in  the  matter  of  the  people  there,  and  both  took 
an  active  part  in  the  aft'airs  of  the  organization ;  so  that  the 
tradition  carries  a  strong  degree  of  probability.  Wm.  C.  Fer- 
rell  and  J.  J.  Warner  are  also  mentioned  in  this  connection. 

Early  in  November.  1854.  the  San  Diego  &  Gila.  Southern 
Pacific  &  Atlantic  Railroad  Company  was  organized.  On 
November  16th  J.  R.  Gitchell  returned  from  Sacramento  with 
the  charter,  and  the  following  officers  were  elected:  President, 
James  W.  Rol)inson  ;  vice-president,  0.  S.  Witherby;  treasurer, 
Louis  Rose ;  secretary,  George  P.  Tebbetts ;  directors,  J.  W.  Rob- 
inson, General  H.   S.  Burton,  IT.  S.  A.,  E.  W.  jNIorse,  Joseph 


THE  SAN  DIEGO  &  GILA  353 

KeiiKT,  Julin  Hays,  .M.  .M.  Si'xton,  Jjuuis  Kossl',  L.  Slrauss,  J.  K. 
Gitc'hell,  George  Lyons,  0.  S.  Witherby,  and  Wm.  G.  Perrell. 
Tlio  purpose  of  the  organization  was  to  hirild  a  i-ailroad  to 
Yuma,  there  to  meet  the  line  wliich  iiii^hl  rcaeli  that  jjoiiit  from 
the  t^ast.  Golonel  Gray  had  abamlonetl  his  work  at  Yuma,  on 
account  of  his  pack  mules  being  broken  down,  and  the  new  com- 
pany, therefore,  promptly'  took  steps  to  supply  the  deficiency. 
They  sent  out  a  party  of  surveyors  to  examine  the  pass  to  Santa 
^'sabel  by  way  of  the  San  Diego  River,  who  returned  about  the 
time  the  charter  arrived,  and  according  to  the  Herald  "made 
their  rei>ort,  which  is  so  favorable  as  to  astonish  everyone  wlio 
had  never  been  through  l)y  this  route."  A  second  reconnais- 
sance of  the  mountains  was  immediately  begun,  and  the  sur- 
veys were  pushed  with  vigor  and  success,  demonstrating  tin- 
feasibility  of  the  "direct  route"  to  Yuma,  upon  which  the  peo- 
ple of  San  Diego  insisted  with  so  much  tenacity  in  later  years. 
But  this  was  not  all :  these  entei'prising  men  prevailed  upon  the 
city  to  make  a  donation  of  two  leagues  of  land  (about  8,850 
acres) — at  an  election  held  October  19,  1855,  all  the  votes  being 
for  the  donation — a  gift  which  would  have  become  of  princely 
value  had  the  railroad  been  built — and  secured  the  confirmation 
of  this  grant  by  the  state  legislature. 

The  organization  continued  actively  at  work  until  the  Givil 
War  began.  ]\Iany  of  the  original  officers  and  directors  retained 
their  positions  during  the  period.  In  1855.  J.  C.  Bogart.  E.  B. 
Pendleton,  and  D.  B.  Kurtz  succeeded  John  Hays,  L.  Strauss, 
and  AVm.  C.  Ferrell  as  directors.  In  the  following  year,  J.  C. 
Bogart  was  treasurer,  in  ]>lace  of  Rose.  Eai'ly  in  1858,  Rose 
was  treasurer  again,  and  E.  W.  jMorse  chaii-man  of  the  audit- 
ing committee.  At  the  annual  election  in  this  year,  0.  S.  AVith- 
erby  became  president,  "\Vm.  C.  Ferrell  vice-president,  D.  B. 
Kurtz  treasurer,  and  George  P.  Tebbetts  remained  secretary,  as 
from  the  beginning. 

At  this  time  the  hopes  of  the  i)cople  were  very  high.  Indeed, 
it  seems  probable  the  road  would  have  been  built  Init  for  the 
war.  That  conflict  dashed  the  people's  hopes,  not  merely  for 
the  time  of  its  duration,  but  for  many  years  after.  The  South 
had  never  for  a  moment  thought  of  building  a  railroad  to  any 
terminus  other  than  San  Diego,  l)ut  it  now  no  lomror  dominati-d 
either  the  politics  or  the  finances  of  the  country,  and  it  was  nec- 
essary to  wait  until  now  financial  and  industrial  combinations 
t'ould  be  made.  It  was  not  until  tlu^  second  year  of  the  Ilorton 
jteriod  that  lively  hopes  of  the  s]>t'edy  building  of  a  railroad 
atrain  cheered  San  Diego. 

The  ^lemphis.  El  Paso  &  Pacific  Railroad  Gompany.  known 
as  the  jNIemphis  &  El  Paso,  or  the  Fremont  route,  was  one  of  the 


I 
I 


354  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

numerous  projects  for  building  on  the  32d  parallel.  The  east- 
ern terminus  was  ^lemphis,  and  the  western  was  at  first  Guay- 
mas,  but  this  was  afterward  chanyed  to  San  Diego.  The  old 
San  Diego  &  Gila  was  revived  with  a  new  set  of  officers,  and 
Colonel  Wm.  Jetf.  Gatewood.  the  president  of  the  reorganized 
company,  was  sent  to  Memphis  to  negotiate.  In  1868  General 
M.  C.  Hunter,  of  Indiana,  representing  the  ^Memphis  &  El  Paso 
Railroad,  came  to  San  Diego  and  addressed  large  meetings.  He 
succeeded  in  negotiating  a  contract  between  the  two  companies, 
whereby  the  foriner  company  agreed  to  l)uild  the  road,  and 
received  the  grants,  franchises,  and  lands  of  the  latter,  valued 
at  $500,000,  in  exchange  for  stock.  General  Hunter  selected  a 
site  for  the  depot,  upon  the  company's  own  lands,  some  half 
mile  from  Horton's  wharf,  and  also  made  a  contract  with  the 
Kimball  brothers,  owners  of  the  National  rancho,  for  a  way  sta- 
tion on  their  lands,  for  which  the  Kiniballs  were'  to  donate  100 
blocks  of  land.  General  Thomas  S.  Sedgwick  then  proceeded  to 
make  a  survey,  and  General  John  C.  Fremont  went  to  Paris  and 
succeeded  in  i)lacing  148  first  mortgage  bonds  for  $11(3.180. 
Application  was  made  to  Congress  for  a  grant,  l)ut  this  failed, 
and  the  Avhole  scheme  quickly  collapsed.  The  Paris  investors 
sued  Fremont,  and  the  land  subsidy  was  forfeited  to  the  city. 
General  Sedgwick,  who  had  just  completed  his  maps,  was  sent 
east  as  the  agent  of  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  to  secure  a  concella- 
tion  of  the  contract  between  the  two  companies,  and  succeeded 
in  doing  so. 

But  the  people  of  San  Diego  were  not  left  long  without  hope. 
During  these  years,  from  1868  to  1871,  we  hear  of  the  San  Diego 
&  Fort  Yuma,  which  was  to  run  via  Jacumba  Pass;  of  the  old 
Southern  Pacific,  the  Transcontinental,  and  other  projects ;  but 
it  was  not  until  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railway  Company  was  char- 
tered, iMarcli  3,  1871,  that  there  seemed  once  more  substantial 
ground  for  the  belief  that  the  day  of  prosperity  was  at  hand. 
The  Texas  &  Pacific  was  responsible  for  so  many  things — for 
San  Diego's  first  considerable  boom  and  its  greatest  disappoint- 
ment— and,  in  a  way,  for  its  subsequent  growth  and  prosperity 
— that  a  somewhat  extended  account  may  properly  be  given. 

This  company  was  incorporated  by  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Scott, 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  others.  Scott  was  made  its 
president,  and  gave  his  eflPorts  energetieallv  for  several  years 
to  the  task  of  building  a  road  through  to  San  Diego.  Senator 
John  S.  Harris,  one  of  the  directors,  spoke  in  San  Diego  on 
behalf  of  the  road,  August  28,  1871,  which  was  the  first  i)ulilie 
meeting  held  in  connection  with  the  enterprise.  In  ^larch,  1872, 
Scott  acquired  by  consolidation  and  purchase  property  and 
franchises  of  tho  old  Southern  Pacific,  the  Transcontinental,  and 


COMMITTEE  OF  FORTY 


355 


the  Memphis  *.V;  101  I'aso  Kaih'oads,  jiikI  l)y  act  of  Con«irress 
ai)pi'oved  May  2,  1872,  was  orantcd  power  id  hiiild  and  I'cmip 
lines  l)et\veen  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  Raeilie  Coast. 

In  the  meantime,  the  i)eopIe  of  San  Die^o  were  awake  to  tlieir 
interests.  Late  in  Maivli,  1872,  a  eonnnittee  of  forty  was 
appointed,  of  whieh  Tlios.  L.  Xesmith  was  chairman,  and  the 
cono-ressman.  S.  O.  llon^hton,  was  instructed  to  use  his  l)est 
.induiuent.      TToi'ti>n   went   lo   WasliiiiLitun   a   few  dax's  later,   and 


JAMES   W.    ROBINSON 

Who  came  to  San  Diego  after  a  conspicuous  career  in  Texas  and  was  identified  with  the 

earliest  railroad  efforts 


co-operated  with  llnuuhton  and  (ieneral  Sediiwiclc.  It  was 
thouuhl  essential  tiial  llie  charter  should  pi'ovide  for  huililinir 
the  road  from  both  the  eastern  and  western  ends  simidtaneously. 
to  tix  a  minimum  mileage  to  be  constructed  each  year,  and  to 
limit  the  time  within  which  work  should  be  conunence<l  to  one 
>eai',  in  order  to  safe,i:uard  tlie  cit\'s  interests.  Colonel  Scott 
readily  agreed  to  these  requirements,  and  jii-omi.sed  to  visit  San 
Die<ro  to  ne«i()tiate  for  the  fraiu-hise  and  property-  of  the  oKl 
San    ni(>^(>  &   (iila   and   explain   liis  views  to  the   peoplr.      There 


356  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

was  a  powerful  lo])])y  against  the  bill,  both  before  and  after 
amendment,  much  of  which  came  from  northern  California,  but 
the  bill  finally  passed  and  was  approved  on  May  2d,  causing 
great  rejoicing  in  San  Diego. 

Surveying  parties  were  immediately  put  in  the  field  and  the 
work  was  pushed  with  vigor.  Three  surveys  in  all  were  made. 
The  first  party  of  engineers  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  June  21, 
1872.  On  August  8th,  J.  A.  Evans,  chief  engineer  of  the  Cali- 
fornia division,  arrived  to  take  charge  of  the  work.  On  Sep- 
tember 5th  the  second  party  took  the  field,  and  nine  days  later, 
the  third.  In  the  following  December,  Crawford's  survey  of 
the  route  from  San  Diego  eastward  was  completed,  and  in  ]\Iarch 
the  Reno  party  comi)leted  its  work  and  was  disbanded.  These 
three  routes  were,  respectively :  the  southern  route  by  way  of 
El  Campo;  the  middle  route,  by  way  of  Warner's  raucho ;  and 
the  northern,  through  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass. 

All  of  this  was  vei-y  encouraging,  indeed,  and  when  Colonel 
Scott  started  west  early  in  August,  with  a  party  of  legis- 
lators and  other  public  men,  the  excitement  rose  to  something- 
approaching  fever  heat,  and  the  people  began  to  cherish  an 
apparently  well-grounded  hope  that  their  ambitions  were  about 
to  be  realized.  The  name  and  fame  of  San  Diego  w^ere  in  every- 
body's mouth.  Population  began  to  pour  in  from  every  direc- 
tion, men  began  to  see  visions  of  a  wonderful  destiny,  and  in 
a  few  weeks  San  Diego's  first  great  boom  was  fairly  on. 

The  railway  party  came  by  way  of  San  Francisco,  where 
Colonel  Scott  and  others  made  addresses.  On  August  18th.  the 
steamer  Hasslcr  arrived  at  San  Diego,  having  on  board  Pro- 
fessor Agassiz  and  party,  on  a  voyage  of  scientific  exploration, 
who  remained  to  meet  with  members  of  the  Scott  jiarty.  Agas- 
siz was  here  ten  days,  continued  his  scientific  researches,  and 
left  a  much  valued  estimate  of  San  Diego's  resources.  The 
Scott  party  arrived  by  steamer  on  August  26th.  A  very  dis- 
tinguished party  it  was,  consisting  of  Colonel  Scott ;  Senatoi* 
John  Sherman,  of  Ohio;  Governor  R.  C.  IMcCormick,  of  Ari- 
zona; Colonel  George  Williamson,  of  Louisiana:  Cn^ueral  (!.  ^1. 
Dodge,  of  Iowa;  Colonel  John  W.  Forney,  of  I'hiladeliihia ; 
Governor  J.  W.  Throckmorton,  of  Texas ;  W.  T.  Waltere.  of 
Baltimore;  John  ]\IcManus,  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania;  Hon. 
John  S.  Harris;  ex-Senator  Cole;  and  AY.  H.  Rinehart.  the 
sculptor. 

"As  tlie  boom  of  the  California's  guns  announced  the  arrival 
of  the  vessel,"  said  Colonel  Gatewood  in  the  WorJc],  "all  San 
Diego  drew  a  l)reath  of  relief  and  hope,"  and  we  may  well 
believe  it. 

A  committee  of  citizens  met  the  party,  and  Colonel  Gatewood 


SCOTT'S  REASONABLE  DEMANDS  357 

gave  them  a  J'onnal  wrli-uiuc.  'i'lii'.\  were  dojiiicilcd  at  the  llor- 
ton  House,  and  the  same  evening'  a  mass  meeting  and  banquet 
were  hehl  at  wliicli  Scott  explained  his  phins.  Among  those 
who  spoke  wei-e :  St'ott,  Sliernian.  .McCormick,  Williamson, 
Dodge,  and  Agassiz,  of  the  visitors;  and  T.  L.  Xesmilli,  (Jate- 
wood,  Taggart,  and  llinclnnan,  of  the  residents.  Other  citizens 
who  participated  wei-e :  T.  !>.  Nesmith,  Aaron  Pauly.  C.  L.  Carr, 
Bryant  Howard,  George  \V.   .Marston  and  Mr.  Boyd. 

Scott's  demands  wei'c  far  less  onerous  than  had  been  feared. 
In  the  hmguage  of  the  A1((t  California,  the  committee  of  forty 
were  "in  fear  and  trembling,"  expecting  nothing  less  tlian  "a 
modest  demand  for  half  a  million  in  connly  bonds  and  at  least 
one-half  that  the  people  owned  in  lands."  What  he  actually 
asked  the  })eo]ile  to  give  him  was:  a  I'ight  of  way  100  feet  wide 
from  the  ocean  to  the  Colorado  River;  the  lands  which  had  been 
granted  to  the  old  San  Diego  &  (Jila  Company;  a  tract  of  land 
west  of  the  court  house,  on  the  water  front,  600  by  1500  feet, 
for  a  tei-minal ;  and  either  TOO  acres  of  tide  lands  of  acceptable 
shape  ami  location,  or  the  same  area  in  Norton's  Addition  adja- 
cent to  the  shore. 

These  requirenu^nls  were  considered  moderate,  and  the  com- 
mittee of  forty  joyfull\'  accepted  th(>m.  But  a  "'vote  of  the  cit- 
izens must  be  taken  in  order  to  auUiorize  the  levy  of  a  ta.\  to 
raise  the  necessary  funds.  It  was  resolved  to  call  a  mass  meet- 
ing at  an  early  day,  that  the  action  of  the  committee  may  Ik^ 
submitted  to  the  people  for  ratification.''  This  was  done  Aug- 
ust 30th,  without  serious  opposition.  The  stoekholdei-s  of  the 
San  Diego  &  Gila  were  agreeable  to  all  this,  provided  they  were 
reimbursed  for  their  outlay  in  times  jjast,  as  they  ultimately 
were  hy  payment  of  .$58,000  of  city  bonds. 

The  transfer  of  the  franchise  and  remaining  propcM-ty  of  the 
old  company  to  the  new  was  made  Decembei-  11.  1872,  President 
Gatewood  consenting  reluctantly  and  insisting  that  the  Texas 
&  Pacific  be  firmly  and  legall\'  bound  to  rulfill  its  agreements. 
On  January  14,  1873,  the  fiiud  step  in  the  ti-ansfer  of  the  sub- 
sidy lands  was  taken.  They  wei-e  j)nt  up  at  auction,  in  Itld  ])ar- 
cels,  and  bid  in  by  James  A.  pjvans,  engineer  of  the  Westei-n 
division  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific,  at  sf^l  i)er  ]tarcel.  there  beiiiLr  no 
competition.  The  d(^eds  from  the  cit\-  to  Evans,  ami  from  him 
to  the  Texas  &  Pacific,  were  executed  and  filed  for  record  the 
same  day.  The  total  area  of  thes(^  lands  was  8,606  acres,  besides 
51  lots  in  Old  San  Dieuo  and  othei-  ])laces.  The  total  value  was 
estinuited  by  the  San  Francisco  ])apei-s  at  .$3, 000, 000.  ami  )»\- 
Colonel  Scott  himself  at  !i;5,000.000. 

The  rtMiuiinder  of  the  S;in  DieLid  i.^  (iila's  story  is  bi"ief. 
After    the    disti'ilmt  inn    nf    ilie    Ixind    iiroeeeds.    Mr     Moi'se    <Mn- 


358  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

]»l(iy(Ml  W.  T.  AlcXealy  to  defend  all  suits  auainst  the  company 
and  attend  to  the  disineorporation.  As  late  as  November  25, 
1878.  hoM-ever.  its  business  had  not  ])een  wound  up.  The  direct- 
ors met  on  that  date  and  declared  a  dividend  of  SGV-i  cents  a 
share,  payable  upon  disineorporation.  The  amount  estimated 
to  be  on  hand,  after  jiayment  of  bills,  was  $1,766.85.  The  com- 
pany was  soon  after  finally  dissolved. 

The  stay  of  Colonel  Scott  and  his  party  was  short.  The  nego- 
tiations with  the  citizens'  committee  were  finished  on  the  27th, 
the  party  dejjarted  at  midnight,  and  the  Hasshr  with  the  Agas- 
si/ party  the  next  da\'.  After  this,  events  moved  rapidly.  The 
election  of  September  27th  provided  for  the  issuance  of  bonds 
to  satisfy  the  San  Diego  &  Gila  stockholders,  as  well  as  to  pur- 
chase terminal  property.  On  November  11th  occurred  one  of 
the  most  joyous  and  imiiressive  ceremonies  ever  held  in  San 
Diego.  Ground  was  brok(^n  for  the  new  railroad,  on  the  com- 
])any's  land,  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  southeast  of  Mannasse 
&  Schiller's  Addition.  W.  W.  Bowers  was  grand  marehal  and 
his  aides  were  Adolph  Gassen,  Miguel  de  Pedrorena,  L.  G. 
Nesmith,  Frank  Stone,  and  A.  B.  Hotchkiss.  Colonel  Gatew^ood 
presided,  and  the  addresses  were  liy  Judge  Rolfe.  C.  P.  Taggart, 
and  Governor  ^IcCormick.  The  jubilant  feeling  of  the  people 
was  reflected  in  the  World,  which  exclaimed:  "We  have  twice 
sui)posed  that  the  right  note  of  accord  had  been  struck,  and  we 
have  been  twice  disappointed.  Now  there  is  no  longer  possibil- 
ity of  deception.  All  our  high  contracting  parties  have  put 
their  sign  manuals  to  an  instrument  which  gives  Scott  all  he 
has  ever  asked." 

Some  months  now  elapsed,  in  which  little  apparent  progress 
was  made,  and  San  Diegans  began  to  grow  restless.  There  were 
not  wanting  those  w^ho  would  be  now  called  "knockers,"  and, 
indeed,  the  vast  issues  staked  upon  this  railroad  might  weW 
excuse  a  feeling  of  imjiatience.  On  February  12,  1873,  the 
World  felt  called  upon  to  declare : 

"We  have  enough  raw  material  in  San  Diego  to  stock  an  ordi- 
nary lunatic  asylum.  We  have  amongst  us  men  who  discredit 
tlie  good  faith  of  Scott,  and  who  cannot  rid  themselves  of  an 
uneasy  opinion  that  he  intends  to  palter  with  San  Diego.  It 
is  useless  to  call  the  attention  of  these  men  to  the  fact  that  the 
faihoad  king  is  a  man  whose  reputation  for  fair  dealing  is  as 
exceptioiud  as  his  success  as  a  raili'ond  administrator.  They  are 
])()ssessf^d  ])}•  the  demon  of  distrust,  and  the  sign  manual  of  an 
ai-cliangel  wouldn't  reassure  them." 

But  one  Aveek  later  the  same  writer  recorded  his  opinion  that: 
"After  a  vei'\-  full  consideration  of  the  matter,  we  have  no  hes- 
itation in  sa\ing  that   it   is  time  tliat  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Rail- 


A  CHANGE  OF  ROUTE 


359 


\VM\'   ;nilli(ii'it  ics  slioiiM   show   tlicir    liniids."      Evidi'iitly,    lii-   loo 
had  liccuiiic  iiil'cctcd  witli  llic  niiri-ohc  of  iin|)at  iciico. 

On  A[)ril  21.  1S7-').  occurred  Ihc  c(.'i'('iiioiiics  allcndiiii;  ItcLiiii- 
niii«i'  of  actual  work  on  tlie  construction  of  llic  railroad.  T.  L. 
Xcsmith  made  a  few  icinarUs  on  Ix'half  of  the  conuiiiltcc  of 
foi'ty.  and  ('.  1'.  Tati^arl  also  spoke.  "Father"  Ilorlon  thi-ew 
the  iirsi  sh<tvelfull  of  earth,  and  said  i1  was  llie  liappiest  da\'  of 
his  life  and  Ihat   he  I'elt   more  honnrcd  than  if  he  had  been  chosen 


THOMAS   L.    NESMITH 

Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Forty  who  conducted  the  negotiations  with  the  Texa.i  and 

Pacific  in  1872 


governor.  Alxml  Icn  miles  of  the  roadhed  were  <;raded.  and 
some  of  this  jrrade  can  still  be  seen  jieai-  tiie  ti-acks  of  tlie  Sania 
F«'^  Railway. 

In  May,  Colonel  Scott  wrote  InrDnninL:  the  eonnnittee  that  his 
company  had  decided  upon  the  San  (ioi-jronio  route,  and  irivimr 
theii-  I'easons  briefly.  This  was  a  disappointment  to  the  pe(»pl(; 
of  San  Dieu'o,  as  they  i:reatly  preferi'ed  the  "direct  route"'  Ity 
one  of  the  two  otliei-  surveys.  Still,  so  lon<;  as  San  DicL-^o  was 
made  the  teiMuinus  in   irood   faith,  1he,\    did   not  <rreatly  ohjeet. 


360  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

•Scott  went  to  Europe  in  the  fall  to  eonipli^te  his  arrangements 
for  placing  his  bonds  and  raising  funds  for  the  construction  of 
the  road.  Everything  ai)parentl3^  went  well,  and  he  had  mat- 
teins  all  arranged  in  Paris  for  delivering  the  bonds  and  receiv- 
ing the  money,  as  soon  as  the  formalities  of  making  out  the 
papers  could  be  completed.  To  pass  the  time  of  waiting  he 
went  1o  London  with  a  party  of  friends,  and  during  their 
absence  the  "Black  Friday,"  or  panic,  occurred  which  deranged 
the  finances  of  the  country  and  caused  the  French  financiers  to 
change  their  minds  about  making  the  loan.  The  failure  of  Jay 
Cooke  &  Company  in  December.  187.'^,  cut  considerable  figure 
in  thi",  wiping  out  of  the  financial  arrangements  for  the  new 
railrord.  Colonel  Scott  notified  his  friends  and  supporters  in 
San  Diego  that  he  would  l)e  unable  to  fill  his  agreements. 

The  blow  was  a  severe  one  to  the  young  city  and  many 
thought  it  fatal.'  The  population  dwindled  in  the  course  of  two 
or  three  years  from  3,000  to  1.500.  But  there  were  a  stout- 
hearted few  who  never  lost  faith  nor  courage.  Scott  was  not 
ruined,  they  argued;  he  was  still  a  wealthy  man,  still  president 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  and  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific,  and 
had  not  abandoned  or  changed  his  plans.  Jay  Cooke  &  Com- 
pany were  endeavoring  to  r(^hai)ilitate  their  standing  and  would 
come  to  his  aid.    And  so  they  fed  their  hopes  for  some  years. 

But  while  these  things  were  largely  conjectural,  there  was 
one  source  of  hope  which  seemed  a  strong  one.  This  was  the 
appeal  which  Scott  promptly  made  to  Congress  for  a  national 
subsidy.  Congressman  Houghton  had  been  re-elected  in  the  fall 
of  1872  largely  on  the  ground  that  he  could  help  in  matters  of 
national  legislation  affecting  San  Diego's  interests.  He  was 
still  in  Congress,  but,  unfortunately,  found  himself  in  a  minor- 
ity in  the  support  of  this  measure.  The  day  of  great  grants  to 
railroads  was  passing,  the  counti'y  liad  ])een  too  hard  hit  l)y  thi' 
panic  of  1873.  and  Congress  could  not  be  induced  to  give  thr 
subsidy.  Hope  was  not  aliandoned  for  a  long  time,  however. 
In  October.  1875,  David  Felsenheld  was  appointed  to  act  as 
agent  of  the  city  at  Washington,  and  in  the  following  February 
a  bill  was  passed  by  the  House  for  a  road  on  the  32d  parallel, 
whieh  was  supposed  to  mean  the  Texas  &  Pacific;  but  the  name 
of  the  com])any  was  changed  to  the  Southern  Pacific  as  suc- 
cessor to  the  interests  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific,  and  San  Francisco 
was  iiia(l(^  the  western  terminus.  Further  action  was  postponed 
until  tlie  nt^xt  session  of  Congress. 

"When  the  matter  came  up  in  the  next  Congress,  in  December, 
187G,  San  Diego  was  again  represented  by  special  agent,  Felsen- 
held, and  stormy  times  l)egan,  in  a  struggle  to  save  the  western 


APPEALING  TO  CONGRESS  361 

tcniiiiius  to  San  Dioi^n).    On  Dt'cnnlHi-  Isth.  the  tnislccs  and  iviil- 
I'oad   conunittoc  tclcui'aplicd   ('uluiirl    Smli    ;is   fulldws: 

Tlie  citizens  of  San  Diego  rely  implicitly  npun  your  lionm- 
and  good  faith  for  the  consinnniation  of  your  oft-rciifatcil 
pledges.  You  promised  tiiat  if  the  route  directly  east  proved 
feasible  it  should  be  constructed.  Fulfill  your  pledge  The 
direct  line  is  the  only  route  upon  which  a  comjieting  railroad 
should  enter  San  Diego  and  they  will  unanimously  oppose  any 
compromise  that   will    not  secure  that   line. 

To  this  Colonel  Scott  i-fplied: 

Jlave  used  my  utmost  clforts  to  secure  San  Diego  a  railroad 
line  on  such  route  as  can  best  effect  the  object;  and  if  you 
can  effect  it  in  any  better  shape  than  I  can,  J  should  be  very 
glad  to  have  you  tr.ke  it  up  and  adjust  it  with  any  party,  or 
on  any  terms  that  you  may  think  liest.  liut  in  taking  these 
steps.  I  shall  expect  y(ui  to  relieve  me  of  any  possilile  ob- 
ligation. 

At  this  time,  Scott  offered  to  relinquish  his  subsidy.  ])ein<i:  in 
doubt  about  the  possiliility  of  seeurinji'  frovennnent  aid.  but  the 
offer  was  not  aeeepted,  and  on  the  contrary  evt'r\-  eH'oi't  \v;is 
made  to  secure  the  enactment  of  suitable  legislation. 

(4eneral  Thomas  S.  Sedtrwick  Avas  employed  to  assist  Felseu- 
lield.  and  in  Jainiai-y  IToi-ton  was  sent  "to  assist  Sedirwick  and 
yourself  in  explaining-  advantaj.a^s  of  direct  route  and  disad- 
vantages and  great  injustice  of  proposed  San  Gorgonio  switdi." 
Long  telegrams  were  sent  to  lion.  L.  Q.  C.  Lamar,  dwiii man  of 
the  House  Committee  on  I*;icific  Railroads.  ;ind  to  lion,  .lames 
A.  (iarfield,  and  other  memljcrs  of  that  conunittee.  explaining 
S;in  Diego's  situation  ami  desires.  The  chief  contention  was  that 
''this  people  entered  into  ;i  coiiti-act  with  the  company  authorized 
b>'  law  to  build  the  road,  conveying  to  said  company  valual>le 
franchises  and  over  nine  thousand  acres  of  land  on  said  bay.  in- 
curring thereby  a  large  city  bomled  indebtedness,  for  which  all 
our  property  is  i)ledged;"  "that  a  large  po|)ulation  h.ivc  bccu 
drawn  hither  from  ;dl  |)ai-ts  of  the  rnion.  and  induced  to  invest 
their  fortunes  here,  in  reliance  upon  the  ii'ood  faitii  of  Congress 
in  said  legislation;"  and  that  the  proposed  compromise,  mak- 
ing San  Francisco  the  terminus,  missing  S;in  Diego  by  a  hun- 
dred miles  and  leaving  it  to  be  served  by  a  bi-anch  line  of  tiie 
Southern  Pacific,  would  be  a  irrc^it  injustice  to  the  pi^ople  of 
San  DicLTo  and  the  country,  ".ind  will  liring  ruin  Uj)on  several 
tliousjind  ])co]tlc  who  iinvc  Inislnl  thr  pnimise  of  the  govern- 
ment in  said  Act  of  Charter,  and  who  rely  ujion  the  obligations 
of  contracts  entered  into  with  a  coi-poration  in  L-'oml  faitli  for 
Vi'r\'  valua])le  considerations."" 


362  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Two  historic  telegrams  which  passed  between  San  Diego's  rep- 
resentatives at  Washington  and  the  city  trnstees  exhibit  the  sit- 
nation  very  clearly.  The  attitnde  of  the  trnstees  was  enthnsias- 
tically  snstained  at  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens.  The  telegrains 
Were  as  follows  : 


'o 


WASHix(iTox,  January  6,  1877. 

To   Trustees: 

We  are  pressing  direct  route  persistently,  and 
will  probably  defeat  bill.  It  will  not  be  conceded.  Compromise 
bill  allows  national  or  state  railroads  to  connect  on  equal  con- 
ditions. The  Sau  Gorgonio  line  would  be  so  miicli  towards 
Union  Pacifie  line  from  »Salt  Lake,  which  would  have  right  to 
connect  at  San  Gorgonio.  We  are  losing  friends  in  Committee 
by  our  persistence  and  cannot  count  our  present  strength  here- 
after for  any  other  move.  By  yielding  we  may  get  guaranteed 
bonds  subsidy  for  whole  line;  and  if  Huntington  does  not  build 
San  Gorgonio  line  you  will  have  the  direct  route,  under  the 
bill,  by  the  time  the  through  line  is  completed.  The  Com- 
mittee concede  that  the  direct  line  must  follow  soon  under  any 
conditions.  All  rights  and  ])rivilegcs  coiu-eded  and  secured, 
except  direct  route.  The  Southern  section  (of  the  House)  which 
fully  understands  the  situation,  believes  this  the  last  chance 
for  Government  aid.  They  comprehend  the  benefits  of  the  di- 
rect route;  but  think  you  should  make  concessions  to  get  a  rail- 
road on  (less)  favorite  route.  At  this  time  shortness  of  route 
is  not  so  important  as  results  in  developing  Ai'izona  and  get- 
ting connections  that  will  increase  your  commercial  importance 
and  population  and  trade  many  fold  in  few  years,  which  growth 
will  enable  you  to  build  the  direct  route  long  before  you  will 
need  it  to  cheapen  freights.  Why  not  help  yourselves  now,  to 
strengthen  yourselves  lureafter.'  Unless  this  sulisidy  bill 
j)asses,  there  will  be  no  road  fur  you  to  meet. 

Sedgwick. 
Sax  Dieoo,  January  fi.  1S77. 

To    ( 'ol.    S(  dgwick: 

Tt  is  the  deliberate  and  unchangeable  con- 
viction of  San  Diego,  that  the  proposed  connection  north  of 
here,  in  the  hands  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Company,  would  be 
an    injury  instead  of  a  benefit  to  us,  because: 

1.  Tt  places  in  control  of  one  corporation  for  all  time 
every  a])])roach   to   our  harbor. 

2.  Trade  and  population  would  be  taken  away  from,  in- 
stead of  brought  here,  while  tlie  road  is  building.  Tt  is  now 
moN'ing  from   the  northern   ]»art  of   tlu'  county  to   Colton. 

?y.  By  occui)ying  the  only  ])asscs  it  would  prevent  exten- 
sion of  Utah  Southern  road  and  connection  with  ITnion  Pacific. 

4.  Tt  would  supersede  construction  of  direct  line  from  Ana- 
lieim,   increasing  our  distance  from  San  Francisco  to   650  miles. 

.".     Tt    would    increase    the    distance   from  Yuma   by   60    miles. 

6.  T^xperience  has  taught  us  that  the  strongest  promises 
in  a  bill  do  not  protect  us  against  subsequent  amendments 
at  the  desire  of  the  corporations.  Legislation  that  fails  to 
rfMjuii'c    iir.mediate    beginning    at    liiis    (lul,    and    constr\iction    of 


AN  HISTORIC  TELEGRAM  363 

so    mucli    road    bt't'ore    next    session    of    Congress    as    to    ri-nnive 
the    temptation    to    aincMid    hill,    is    worso    than    worthless. 

7.  Whatever  suppost  d  <jiiaranties  may  he  |)ut  in  hill  mak- 
ing the  read  a  "highway"  it  is  wdl  known  hy  all  engineers 
that  the  (/ompany  huilding  the  road  holds  ///  ficl  control  t)f  it; 
and  no  other  eompany  ean  iiavc  eqnal  nse,  or  will  hniM  paral- 
lel road. 

8.  Sonthern  Paeifie  ('oompaiiy  one  yc  ai'  ago  agreed  to  hnilil 
on  direet  line,  ])rovided  San  Uicgo  would  consent  that  it 
shonld   have   the   western   end. 

So  far  from  a  San  Diego  standpoint:  Hut  we  hold  no  petty 
local  view;  we  snpi)lieate  no  favors.  The  interest  of  San 
Diego  is  here  bonnd  np  with  the  National  interest.  We  sub- 
mit to  impartial  statesmen  the  eonecdcd  truth  that  the  pro- 
posed compromise  diverts  the  Nation's  bounty  from  the  origi- 
nal ])urpose  of  the  Southern  transeontinental  legislation;  de- 
prives all  the  millions  east  of  San  Diego  of  direct  access  to 
their  nearest  Pacific  harbor;  and  ilcstroys  com])etition  for  all 
time.  San  Diego's  natural  advantages  are  such,  that  in  ask- 
ing the  Nation's  aid  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
to  her  port,  she  asks  it  upon  a  line,  and  upon  terms  that  will 
contribute  to  the  Nation  's  support  and  wealth  for  all  time  to 
come;  while  the  comi)romise  i)lan  will  be  an  intolerable  and 
interminable  national  burden.  For  these  reasons  San  Diego 
]irefers  NO  bill,  rather  than  the  San  (Jorgonio  branch.  Rt  ad 
again   both    our    dispattdies   to    Lamar. 

Si<rn(  (1    by    Roaicl    of   Trustees. 

Thr  l>(»;ii'(l  .of  Trustees  nt  tiiis  time  consisted  of  -T.  M.  I'.umI, 
1).  ().  .Met'Mfthv.  I).  W.  Hv'v.mt.  W.  A.  Hetrole.  jm.l  l\iii'ick 
()".\eill.     l^oyd  \v;is  pi-esidciit  Jtud   S.  Sl;itler  elerk. 

Events  have  sin,milai-ly  hortic  oiil  1lie  jiidgineiit  oT  ilic  ii-iis- 
tees  coneei'iiing:  the  etil'eet  upon  San  Diegfo,  at  least,  of  l)uildini; 
the  road  tlii-oug-h  th(^  San  (Jorgonio  Pass  inst(>ad  of  hv  tlie  direef 
eastern  route.  Xor  was  Los  .Vn^cles  indilTereiit  to  what  she  had 
at  stake  ill  the  choiee  ol'  roiilcs.  Later,  when  Scidt's  efforts  to 
secure  h'lrishition  had  come  to  nauglit  and  the  Southern  I'aciiic 
was  heatint:'  him  in  tlie  race  to  California,  l^os  An^tdes  Liave 
.t4()(i, ()(•()  to  make  sure  that  tlie  road  shouhl  use  the  San  (ior- 
ponio  Pass,  and  no  other.  L  was  the  turnino-  point  for  Los 
Anjreles,  and  it  involvi-d  Ioiil;  and  liiltcr  disappointment  t^ 
San  Dieuo. 

In  Scpteml)er.  LS77.  an  a'jrccmciit  was  made  with  Colonel  .). 
r.  Crawford  to  survey  the  route  hy  \va\  of  \Varnei''s  I'ass  as 
a  means  of  demonsti'at  ini:  once  more  the  utter  t'alsit\  nf  ilie 
claim  that  the  direct  route  was  inii)rac1ical)li'.  Crawford  ;nid 
Felseidield  went  to  Wasliington  eai-ly  in  L*^7S.  togethei-  with 
Captain  ^Mathew  Sherman,  to  make  one  final  effort  in  helialf  of 
iho  enterpi-ise.  hut    it  came  tn  nulhiuL:. 

Thus  ended  the  dream  of  file  Te.xas  and  Taeitie  s\stem  with 
its  western  tei-miinis  on  tlie  sh<»res  of  San  Dieiro  Raw     The  residt 


364 


HISTORY   OF  SAN    DIEGO 


w.is  in  no  wise  due  to  the  people  of  San  Dieg'O.  They  were  wide 
awake  to  their  opportnnity;  they  contributed  with  prodigal  gen- 
erosity to  the  subsidy;  they  fought  long  and  stubbornly  to  pro- 
tect and  to  enforce  the  contract.  Failure  was  due,  in  the  fi]-st 
instance,  to  the  panic  of  187:^ :  then,  to  the  sledgehannuer  Ijlows 
which  Huntington  rained  upon  his  rival,  Scott,  until  he  had 
beaten  him  alike  at  Washington  and  in  California.  So  Scott's 
star  went  out  of  the  Pacitic  sky.  and  Huntington's  rose  resplen- 
dent, to  shine  with  ever  increasing  lustei'  while  he  lived. 


THOMAS   A.    SCOTT 

The  great  railroad  magnate  who  undertook  to  extend  the  Texas  &  Pacific  to  San  Diego  and 

whose  failure  to  accomplish  it.  exerted  a  profound  influence  on  the  history 

of  San  Diego  and  of  Southern  California  for  many  years 


Tliere  were  times  when  San  Diego  iioped  that  Huntington 
would  build  his  line  to  the  pt)rt  of  San  Diego  and  thus  create 
the  desired  eastern  connection.  There  is  no  evidence  that  he 
ever  seriously  contemplated  the  project.  He  visited  San  Diego 
with  Crocker  and  others  in  August.  1S75,  and  met  a  committee 
of  citizens.  The  best  account  of  what  occurred  at  the  interview 
appears  in  the  following  .statement  l)y  E.  W.  Morse: 


HUNTINGTON  AND  SAN  DIEGO  o65 

I  was  on  the  railroad  coiuinittcc  wlieii  Tliintington  and  his 
associates  were  liere  to  iiefjotiate  with  us.  T  think  Hunting- 
ton never  intended  to  buihl  to  «an  Diego,  but  that  he  only 
came  for  political  effect.  They  never  made  us  a  proposition. 
We  met  on  a  Sunday.  Huntington  said  he  was  not  then  pre- 
pared to  make  a  proposition.  I  told  them  about  General  Kose- 
crans's  trip  to  Jacumba  Pass  and  what  he  said  about  the  route. 
Mr.  Huntington  objected  that  that  would  take  them  down  in 
Mexico,  which  he  thought  would  make  undesirable  complica- 
tions. I  suggested  that  he  could  probably  make  such  an  ar- 
rangement with  Mexico  as  the  Grand  Trunk  had,  which 
crosses  the  line  into  the  United  States  twice.  Huntington 
said,  "Well,  I  don't  know  but  that  would  be  well."  Gener- 
al Eosecrans  said  several  times  on  his  trip  that  he  never  saw 
a  better  route  for  a  railroad;  "it  looks  like  it  was  made  pur- 
posely for  a  railroad."  They  talked  very  pleasantly  with  us 
and  finally  said  that  one  of  their  directors  was  traveling  in 
Europe,  and  "as  soon  as  he  returns  we  will  make  you  a  propo- 
sition giving  the  terms  on  which  we  will  build  a  railroad  into 
San  Diego."  I  have  memoranda  which  I  made  at  the  time 
of  that  interview.  We  kept  on  asking  them  to  make  a  propo- 
sition after  that,  liut  they  never  got  ready  to  do  it.  He  said 
we  could  depend  they  would  be  the  first  railroad  to  build  into 
San  Diego,  and  when  the  time  was  ripe  they  would  build. 

I  don't  believe  Huntington  ever  showed  a  spirit  of  vindic- 
tiveness  toward  San  Diego,  as  has  been  reported.  In  all 
the  correspondence  with  him  which  I  have  seen,  he  was  very 
friendly.  Mrs.  Burton,  widow  of  General  H.  S.  Burton,  was 
once  dining  with  him,  and  said  to  him  she  did  wish  he  would 
build  a  railroad  into  San  Diego,  that  she  had  some  property 
there  which  would  increase  in  value  and  it  would  make  her  a 
rich  woman.  "Well,"  he  said,  "it  is  not  to  our  interests  to 
build  in  there,  at  present."  He  talked  verj-  pleasantly  about 
it  and  gave  as  one  of  their  reasons  for  not  building  that  if 
they  should  touch  the  Coast  at  San  Diego,  they  would  come  in 
competition  with  water  tiansportation.  I  think  they  were  in- 
fluenced largely  by  the  consideration  of  getting  the  long  haul 
clear  into  San  Francisco,  which  thej^  get  now,  while  if  they 
had  built  in  here,  they  would  have  had  to  divide  with  a  steam- 
ship company  at  this  port.  This  party  was  entertained  at 
the  Horton  House  and  was  treated  well. 


SAN   DIEGO   IN   l!<72 


CHAPTER  IV 


SAN  DIEGO'S   FIRST  BOOM 


AX  DIEGO'S  tii'st  eonsideral)le  impulse  toward 
growth  Avas  due  to  a  combination  of  the  ener- 

Slr^li      S^*^^    '*^    ^^^®    indefatigabk^    Horton    and    the 
mV)     opportune  rise  of  the  Texas  and  Paeitic  Rail- 
\^  (     road  excitement.     When  the  bnilding  of  the 
road  appeared  to  be  a  certainty,  others  beside 
Ilorton  became  able  to  appreciate  the  advan- 
tages  of   bay,   climate,   and  his   well-located, 
smoothly  sloping  "Addition."'       Thus  the  fame  of  the  new  city 
spread  far  and  wide. 


Two  years  ago,  wrote  Major  Beu  C.  Truman,  iu  1869,  San 
Diego  seemed  to  be  among  the  things  that  were.  Only  two 
families  were  living  here  and  but  three  houses  were  left  stand- 
ing. About  that  time  a  Mr.  A.  E.  Horton  came  this  way 
and  purchased  from  the  city  three  quarter-sections  of  land  ad- 
joining the  plot  known  as  New  Town;  and,  having  it  surveyed, 
called  it  Horton 's  Addition.  A  few  months  after,  a  .  .  . 
wiry,  rusty-looking  man  might  have  been  seen  upon  the  streets 
of  San  Francisco  with  a  long  tin  horn  in  his  hand,  contain- 
ing New  San  Diego  and  Horton 's  Addition — on  paper — pur- 
chased by  the  gentleman  for  the  sum  of  .$220.  Lots  of  people 
laughed  at  the  rusty-looking  proprietor  of  the  long  tin  horn 
and  said  he  was  a  fool  who  had  thrown  away  his  money,  and 
many  a  quarter-section  had  the  trustees  to  sell  to  all  such  real 
estate  spocneys.  .  .  .  Two  years  have  passed  away,  and  the 
contents  of  that  tin  horn  describe,  in  point  of  site,  facili- 
ties for  living,  climate,  etc.,  the  most  comfortable  and  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  towns  in  Southern  r'alifornia,  if  not  in 
the  State.     .     .     . 

I  saw  Mr.  Horton  yesterday.  He  looks  just  as  he  did  two 
years  ago.  I  should  judge  that  he  had  on  the  same  suit  of 
clothes  now  as  then.  But  he  no  longer  packs  about  that  long 
tin  horn.  He  rides  behind  a  good  horse  and  resides  in  an  ele- 
gant mansion,  with  a  garden  adjoining  containing  all  kinds 
of  vegetables  and  flowers,  and  all  kinds  of  young  fruit  and  or- 
nanu  ntal  trees  and  shrubs.  There  are  220  blocks  in  Horton 's 
Addition,  each  containing  twelve  lots  .50x100  feet.  Early  in 
the  history  of  this  town,  Mr.  Horton  gave  away  some  twenty 
odd  blocks  and  sold  twice  that  number  for  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars a  block.  During  the  past  year  he  has  sold  over  $100,000 
worth  of  blocks  and  lots  at  large  figures.  He  has  been  very 
generous   and   has  helped   many   a   poor   man   to   get   along,  pro- 


RAPID  GROWTH  IN  1868 


367 


vided  lie  scomod  ineliiied  to  help  himself.  He  has  given  oafh 
of  the  religious  (li'n(iiiiiiiatii>iis  a  piece  of  ground  upon  which 
to  erect  a  church  and  iias  snl)scri}i(Ml  toward  tiic  putting  u]) 
of  a    pretentious    edifice. 

The  means  whieli  llortoii  used  to  encouraLic  laiildiny  in  his 
town  and  to  stinndate  the  sah^  of  real  estate  have  been  described. 
His  success  was  phenomenal,  from  the  beginning.  The  first 
num])er  of  the  i'liiou.  October  'A.  1868,  contains  the  foUowing 
notes  of  the  progress  of  improvements  in  the  new  town: 


THE   FIRST   BUILDING   IN    HORTON  S   ADDITION 
It  is  still  standing-  on  Sixth  Street  below  J,  and  was  first  used  by  Mr.  Horlon  as  his  office 


Culverwell 's  wharf  has  reached  into  tlie  liay  about  1.50  feet 
since  we  were  on  it  last.  It  was  covered  with  freight,  landed 
from  the  schooner  John  Hunter,  through  the  assistance  of  a 
lighter.      We    noticed    a    large    amount    of    feed,    household    and 

kitchen    furniture,    agricultural    implements,    etc also 

a  great  nundjer  of  doors  and  window  frames  for  the  large 
hotel  Mr.  Dunnells  is  about  erecting  on  the  corner  of  Fifth 
and  F  streets — also  some  fine  lumber  for  Judge  Hyde,  who  is 
al)out  erecting  two  or  more  fine  buildings,  .  .  .  one  of 
which  is  to  be  built  op])Osite  the  site  of  Bunnell's  hotel;  also 
a  large  lot   of  lime,  lumlier,  and   other   merchandise  for  Messrs. 


368  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Mannasse  &  Co.,  who  are  now  engaged  in  building  two  frame 
sheds  near  the  wharf.  .  .  .  Near  the  wharf  Mr.  Elliott  has 
about  completed  a  new  building.  ...  A  little  further  back 
stands  a  building  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Hooper,  which  has  re- 
cently been  opened  as  a  billiard  saloon.  Mr.  Nash  had  added 
twenty  feet  to  his  store,  which  gives  it  a  fine  appearance  and 
makes  one  of  the  largest  store  rooms  in  San  Diego.  Passing 
around  to  Mr.  Horton's  wharf,  we  observed  families  of  emi- 
grants, Avho  had  just  arrived,  camping  out  upon  the  ground  . 
they  had  cleared  for  future  homes.  Horton  's  wharf  now  reaches 
out  into  the  bay  500  feet  and  the  piles  have  been  driven  .  .  . 
some  eighty  or  ninety  feet  beyond.  We  discovered  some 
twenty   new   buildings  in   the   course   of   construction. 

On  November  21st,  the  Union  found  that  "the  evidences  of 
improvement,  progress  and  prosperity  are  visible  on  every 
side.  .  .  .  Buildings  are  in  process  of  erection  in  all  direc- 
tions. Lots  are  being  cleared  rapidly  in  the  Horton  Exten- 
sion. .  .  .  Mr.  Horton  is  selling  from  .$600  to  $1000  worth 
of  lots  every  day.  Kestaurants,  bakeries,  livery  stables,  furni- 
ture stores,  blacksmith  shops,  hotels,  doctors'  offices,  wholesale 
and  retail  storerooms,  saloons  and  residences  are  going  up — 
while  the  wharves  are  only  lagging  for  the  want  of  the  neces- 
sarj'  material. ' ' 

The  Sherman  Addition  was  laid  out  and  placed  on  the  mar- 
ket in  this  year,  and  the  Frary  Addition  in  June,  1869.  In  May, 
1869,  the  Episcopalian  Society  erected  the  first  house  of  relig- 
ious worship  in  new  San  Diego,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Sixth 
and  C  Streets.  The  Baptists  followed  with  a  building  on  Sev- 
enth Street,  below  F.  in  October.  The  ]\rethodists  were  third, 
with  a  church  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  D,  which  was  ded- 
icated February  13,  1870.  Each  of  these  societies  received  a 
gift  of  two  lots  each  from  Horton. 

The  hotel  kept  by  Captain  Dunnells  soon  proved 
inadequate  to  s^^pport  the  traffic,  and  late  in  1868 
Mr.  Case  began  the  consti'uction  of  the  hotel  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  F  Streets  known  as  the  Bay  View  Hotel — the  second 
hotel  erected  in  new  San  Diego  and  the  first  in  Horton's  Addi- 
tion. By  December,  1869,  the  newspapers  were  complaining  of 
.nadeqnate  hotel  acconmiodations,  and  on  the  18th  the  Bulletin 
was  able  to  make  this  proud  announcement:  "The  great  need 
of  this  town  is  about  to  be  supplied  by  A.  E.  Horton,  Esq.,  who 
will  immediately  erect,  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fourth  and 
D  Streets,  a  palatial  brick  edifice,  for  hotel  purposes.  It  is  to 
contain  a  hundred  rooms  and  to  be  fitted  up  with  elegant  furni- 
ture and  all  modern  improvements."  The  Horton  House,  the 
best  hotel  of  San  Diego  for  manv  vears,  was  opened  October 
10,  1870. 

Late  in  1869,  the  paper  says  that  "people  are  coming  here 
by  the  hundreds — ])y  steamer,  by  stage,  and  by  private  convey- 


MARCH  OF  IMPROVEMENTS  369 

ance. "  And,  "fi'oiii  a  place  of  no  importance,  the  home  of  the 
squirrel  a  few  months  back,  we  now  have  a  city  of  three  thou- 
sand inliabitants.  Houses  and  buiklings  are  going  up  in  every 
direction.  The  most  suV)stantial  improvements  are  being  made. 
.  .  .  Every  steamer  from  San  Francisco  averages  two  hun- 
dred newcomers,  who  are  to  nuike  their  i)ermaneut  home  here. 
One  wharf  has  not  been  able  to  acconmiodate  all  the  shipping, 
so  another  one  is  in  course  of  construction.  The  government  has 
decided  to  nuike  this  point  headquarters  for  Lower  California 
and  Arizona,  and  troops  are  filling  the  barracks.  Fortifications 
will  be  built  at  the  entrance  to  our  harbor.  The  Memphis  and 
El  Paso  Company  will  soon  have  their  road  open  to  Arizona, 
and  San  Diego  will  be  the  natural  depot  for  that  country.  A 
branch  mint  to  work  out  the  products  of  that  section,  together 
with  our  own,  will  have  to  be  built  at  San  Diego."  In  this  year 
David  Felsenheld  built  the  first  brick  building,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Sixth  and  F  Streets. 

In  November  it  is  recorded  that  more  than  a  dozen  buildings 
were  erected  between  the  two  issues  of  the  newspapers  (weekly)  ; 
and  a  workingman  writes  to  complain  of  the  scarcity  of  houses 
and  the  high  rents,  which  "eat  dreadfully  into  the  earnings  and 
wages  of  mechanics."  At  the  close  of  the  year  there  were  439 
buildings,  and  the  volume  of  business  transacted  in  December 
was  over  $300,000. 

The  year  1870  opened  with  business  brisk  and  real  estate  act- 
ive. In  March,  four  weeks'  sales  aggregated  over  $50,000.  One 
of  the  most  encouraging  features  was  the  opening  of  telegraphic 
communications  with  the  outside  \vorld.  The  need  for  this  con- 
venience had  been  debated  in  the  newspapei*s  for  some  months. 
In  the  spring,  the  agents  of  the  Western  I'nion  Telegraph  Com- 
jiany  came  and  raised  by  canvass  a  subscription  of  $8,000,  the 
amount  of  the  subsidy  required.  The  largest  givers  were  Hor- 
ton,  ]Morse,  San  Diego  Union,  and  J.  S.  ]Mannasse  &  Co.  The 
whole  sum  was  given  by  twenty-three  individuals  and  firms. 
Work  was  begun  upon  the  line  immediately.  The  poles  were 
distributed  from  a  steamer,  being  floated  from  the  vessel  to  the 
shore — a  dangerous  service,  performed  by  Captain  S.  S.  Dun- 
nells.  The  line  was  completed  and  the  first  dispatches  sent  on 
August  19,  1870.     The  event  caused  much  rejoicing. 

]\Iany  other  important  enterprises  were  undertaken  and  nuich 
progress  made.  The  Julian  mines  were  discovered  in  February, 
and  soon  assumed  importance.  The  first  gas  works  were  con- 
structed and  began  operations  early  in  the  summer.  A  daily 
mail  between  San  Diego  and  Los  Angeles  was  established  in 
December.  School  buildings  were  erected  and  a  high  school 
building  talked  about.     In  June  the  fii-st  bank,  the  Bank  of  San 


370 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Diego,  was  organized.  A  loiii;  list  of  substantial  buildings, 
including  Ilorton's  Hall  and  the  really  remarkable  Ilorton 
Honse,  were  completed.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  town's 
real  estate  rose  to  $2,282,000,  and  its  personal  property  to 
$141,252,  all  of  which  had  been  brought  in,  or  created,  in  a 
period  of  three  years.  The  national  census  taken  in  this  year 
showed  that  the  town  had  a  population  of  2,301  and  915  occu- 
pied houses. 


THE    HORTON   HOUSE,    1870-1905 

For  more  than  a  generation,  the  famous  hotel  of  San  Dieg-o  and  one  of  the   most   notable  in 
Southern  California.     It  was  demolished  to  make  room  for  the  U.  S.  Grant  Hotel 


Nevertheless,  the  year  as  a  whole  was  considered  a  discourag- 
ing one,  and  closed  in  gloom.  The  ])oomlet  soon  reached  its  limit 
and  within  a  few  short  weeks  was  cruelly  nipped  in  the  bud. 
The  collapse  of  the  Memphis,  El  Paso  &  Pacific  project,  which 
occurred  early  in  the  year,  \vas  a  blow  which  it  could  not  with- 
stand. Besides,  there  was  a  drought,  which  added  to  the  dis- 
couragement. By  May,  the  BuUclin  ackno\\  ledged  editorially 
that  "times  are  hard  and  money  scarce,"  and  many  men  were 
out  of  ('iii[)loynient.  In  August,  the  Union  took  a  philosophical 
view  of  the  situation:  "In  spite  of  the  failure  of  the  railroad 
l)ill  this  year,  our  real  estate  holds  its  own,  and  sales  are  made 
at  very  littli^  reduction  (sic)  from  the  rates  which  have  ruled 
for  moiillis  past." 


THE  YEAR  OF  THE  AWAKENING  371 

In  the  sprin^i"  of  1871,  there  Avas  a  slight  revival  of  real  estate 
activity  following  the  passage  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad 
bill,  but  delays  ensued,  and  it  was  short-lived.  In  oue  week  we 
read  of  Horton  selling  .$3,000  worth  of  land,  and  iji  another 
$10,000  worth.  A  good  many  settlers  came,  and  on  June  20th  a 
large  party  of  excursionists  arrived  from  Chicago — the  first 
organized  party  of  real  estate  excui'siouists  to  visit  San  Diego. 
Mannasse  &  Schiller's  wharf  was  built  during  the  summei-.  the 
first  planing  mill  established  in  September,  and  the  first  skating 
rink  in  October.  The  total  num1)er  of  buildings  erected  in  the 
year  was  51.  which  included  a  court  house,  the  Presl)y- 
terian  church,  and  a  number  of  business  blocks.  The  drought 
of  the  preceding  year  continued  and  materially  affected  condi- 
tions. The  population  was  estimated  at  2,500,  and  the  number 
of  business  buildings  was  69. 

The  year  1872  may  be  characterized  as  the  Year  of  the  Awak- 
ening. The  effects  of  Colonel  Scott's  activities  were  felt  in  its 
closing  months,  and  confidence  in  his  transcontinental  project 
began  to  grow  in  the  far-off  Pacific  port.  In  August,  "pi-operty 
is  buoyant."  In  November.  ?Torton"s  block  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Third  and  D  Streets,  for  the  use  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific 
as  an  office  building,  was  under  way.  and  real  estate  began  to 
be  in  brisk  demand. 

At  the  close  of  the  year,  the  business  houses  in  San  Diego 
were  as  follows:  Two  commission  houses;  two  wholesale  liquor 
houses;  two  millinery  stores;  seven  hotels;  three  fancy  goods 
stores ;  two  saddlery  stores ;  three  dry  goods  stores ;  three  lum- 
ber 3^ards;  two  furniture  stores;  four  drug  stores;  two  tin- 
ware stores,  two  book  stores,  five  livery  stables,  two  fruit 
stores;  one  bank;  twenty-three  saloons  ("they  dispense,"  says 
the  World,  "an  excellent  article  of  whiskey")  ;  one  boot  and 
shoe  store;  one  sash,  door,  and  building  furnisher;  two  Chinese 
stores ;  two  jewelry  stores ;  four  restaurants ;  two  breweries ;  one 
foundry ;  twenty  general  merchandise  stores ;  two  steam  plan- 
ing, turning,  and  sci-oll  saAv  mills;  and  one  steam  flour  mill. 

Concerning  the  prevailing  prices  of  real  estate,  the  T'jiion 
says:  "Real  estate  during  the  last  few  months  has  been  stead- 
ily appreciating  in  value.  Lots  situated  on  the  city  front  within 
a  couple  of  blocks  on  each  side  of  the  Pacific  ^lail  Companv's 
wharf  have  a  market  value  of  $500  to  $2,500  per  lot  measuring 
100x50  feet.  On  Fifth  Street,  the  main  business  street  of  the 
city,  lots  range  in  value  from  $1,200  to  $2,000;  on  Seventh 
Street  from  $800  to  $1,200.  Residence  lots  within  the  boun- 
daries of  Horton 's  Addition  are  valued  and  selling  at  from  $225 
to  $800  per  lot.  Outside  of  Horton 's  Addition,  but  Avithin  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  of  the  business  center  of  the  city,  lots  vary 


372  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

ill  \;ilii('  tVojii  $.')()  to  $100  each.  One  and  one-half  miles  out 
lands  are  now  selling  at  H^loO  per  acre.  Lands  situated  two  and 
a  quarter  miles  from  the  heart  of  the  city  can  be  purchased  at 
$30  an  acre."  The  sales  of  real  estate  during  the  j-ear  amounted 
to  $466,404. 

My  the  opening  of  1873.  the  rising  tide  of  excitement  was  run- 
ning sti'ong.  The  newspai)ei's  urged  the  people  to  huild  more 
houses  at  once,  saying  the  poi)ulation  had  been  increasing  stead- 
ily for  five  months  and  that  there  was  a  scarcity  of  houses. 

A  list  of  Ilorton's  enterprises,  complete  and  pending,  made 
in  April,  showed  the  following: 

The  Horton  House  was  erected  by  him  at  a  cost  of  $125,000. 
Built  present  residence  of  Thomas  L.  Xesmith  at  cost  of  $8,000 
or  $9,000.  Building  corner  Sixth  and  G,  containing  present 
hall,  cost  about  $8,000.  Present  residence  corner  A  and  Sixth, 
cost  $4,500.  Block  bounded  Second  and  Third.  A  and  B,  im- 
proved at  cost  of  about  $3,500.  Lot  coi-ner  Second  and  B, 
improved,  $3,000.  Lot  J,  same  block,  fronting  on  Third  Street, 
$800.  Lot  J,  on  First  between  C  and  D,  $1,500.  Horton 's  Hall, 
Sixth  and  F,  cost  $10,000.  Building  corner  Ninth  and  IT.  $1,500. 
Wharf  now  owned  by  Pacific  Mail  Company,  $40,000.  Two 
buildings  on  First  Street  between  H  and  I,  and  a  number  of 
othei-  smaller  ones.  Bank  building  now  under  wav,  $40,000  to 
$50.(100. 

On  ]\Iay  22d.  the  TJuion  pulilished  the  following  review  of 
])uilding  operations: 

The  list  includes  new  residence  of  ]\Ir.  Horton,  residence  of 
Captain  A.  H.  Wilcox;  INIr.  Gerichten's  residence;  new  brick 
stoi-e  for  ^IcDonald  &.  Company;  Backesto's  brick  building  on 
Fifth  Street;  Hiscock's  brick  building  on  south  side  of  Horton 
House  square,  corner  of  Third  Street;  brick  building  of  Veazie 
8i  Shuler,  northwest  corner  D  and  Third,  now  occupied  by  Com- 
mercial Bank;  Bayly's  San  Diego  Foundry  and  Machine  shop, 
corner  Eighth  and  ^l  Streets;  Hanlon  &  Fulkerson's  steam  plan- 
ing mill;  Dievendorf's  new  store  on  Sixth  Street;  brick  addi- 
tion to  store  of  J.  Nash;  D.  Cleveland's  new  office  on  Sixth 
Street;  addition  to  Young's  furniture  factory  corner  Third  and 
G  Streets ;  residence  of  i\Ir.  Josse,  beyond  Bay  View  Hotel ;  new 
Market  House  fronting  on  Fifth  and  Sixth  Streets;  Horton 's 
ii'oii  ;iiid  l)ri('k  b;mk  l)uilding,  corner  Third  and  D  Streets;  large 
brick  addition  to  S.  W.  Craigue's  wholesale  liquor  house;  Veazie 
and  Eu.sseli's  large  double  house,  residence  building  on  Third 
Street ;  residence  of  L.  Br  Willson ;  residence  of  ^Iv.  G.  Geddes 
on  C  Street;  Mr.  Phipp's  residence  in  Chollas  Valley;  Mum- 
ford's  building  on  Fifth  Street;  Captain  Knapp's  residence  on 
Fiisl   Street;  i-esidence  of  D.  C.  :\rcCarthy  on  Spring  Avenue; 


•■i*i(l? 


« 


«- 


X 


374  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

and  new  residence  building  on  Eighth  Street — twenty-five  Iniild- 
ings  in  all,  total  cost  about  $147,000. 

Notwithstanding  the  anxiety  and  suspicion  due  to  delay  in 
the  building  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad,  yet  within  the  year 
Colonel  Scott  held  his  famous  meeting  in  San  Diego,  the  sur- 
veys were  made,  the  old  San  Diego  &  Grila  subsidy  lands  were 
transferred  to  his  company,  and  work  was  actually  commenced 
on  the  construction  of  the  road.  The  failure  of  Jay  Cooke  & 
Company  occurred  early  in  December,  as  well  as  Scott's  failure 
in  Europe,  and  the  new  year  in  San  Diego  begun  in  gloom,  but 
considerable  progress  had  been  made. 

"In  1867,"  sa.ys  the  Union,  whistling  cheerfully  to  keep  up 
courage,  "less  than  100  people  lived  here,  and  there  were  not 
more  than  a  dozen  houses.  Today,  it  is  a  city  of  nearly  a  thou- 
sand houses  and  a  population  of  over  4,000."  A  total  of  4.050 
passengers  had  arrived  by  sea  and  land,  and  2,381  departed, 
giving  a  net  gain  of  1,669  in  the  population.  The  agricultural 
development  was  quite  remarkable,  the  total  acreage  of  farm 
lands  assessed  being  825,263,  and  the  total  valuation  $1,263,542. 
But  the  rapid  growth  of  both  city  and  country  was  sharply 
checked  by  the  Scott  failure,  population  declined,  and  doubt, 
uncertainty,  and  discouragement  prevailed.  Mr.  L.  A.  AVright 
says,  in  a  newspaper  sketch : 

The  population  of  San  Diego  had  grown  until  it  was  qi;ite 
a  busy  city,  but  Scott's  failure  stopped  almost  every  enter- 
prise and  the  population  dwindled  down  to  about  2.500.  Many 
poor  people  had  purchased  land  of  Mr.  Horton,  having  made 
a  payment  of  one-fourth  or  one-third  down,  the  rest  to  be 
paid  by  installments.  Of  this  class  a  great  many  were  thrown 
out  of  employment  and  were  compelled  to  leave  town.  They 
met  Mr.  Horton  on  the  street  every  day  and  offered  to  let 
him  keep  the  money  already  paid  if  he  would  only  release  their 
contracts  so  that  they  could  get  away.  Every  man  who  thus 
approached  the  founder  of  the  town  was  whirled  into  Mr. 
Horton 's  office,  his  contract  surrendered,  and  every  cent  paid 
upon   the  contract  was  returned,   dollar  for  dollar. 

An  old  citizen,  referring  to  this  period,  says:  "Following 
this,  there  were  eight  or  ten  quiet  years  here,  years  of  real 
enjoj^ment  for  the  people  who  had  come  here  for  their  health 
and  wanted  to  live  here.  The  business  men  had  no  competition, 
there  were  no  political  bosses ;  the  people  Avere  generally  united 
and  there  was  very  little  wrangling.  The  town  ui'ew  slowly.  Init 
there  was  no  boom." 

That  the  years  were  quiet,  the  historian,  from  an  examination 
of  the  records,  can  testify.  A  year's  file  of  the  newspapers 
scarcely  fur-nishes  a  single  item  for  this  chapter.  At  times  great 
despondency   prevailed.      The   county   was   prosperous   in   1876. 


ENCOURAGING  PROGRESS  375 

A  few  events  of  eoinniercia]  importance  occurred.  In  March, 
1873,  the  Connnercial  Bank,  the  second  bank  in  San  Diego,  was 
opened  for  business.  The  Julian  mines  continued  to  prosper. 
The  San  Diego  River  was  permanently  turned  back  into  False 
Bay.  and  the  destruction  of  San  Diego's  harbor  by  it  stopped, 
in  1877. 

Douglas  Gunu  writes: 

The  prospects  of  the  harbor  as  a  railroad  terminus  consti- 
tuted the  leading  stimulus  to  the  growth  of  the  new  city;  but 
the  people  soon  began  to  give  attention  to  the  development  of 
the  resources  of  the  country;  and  when  it  was  found  that  pa- 
tience must  be  exercised  under  delay  in  railroad  affairs,  the 
people  were  prepared  to  exercise  that  virtue.  No  community 
has  ever  exhibited  greater  courage  and  stronger  faith  than 
that  of  San  Diego.  .  .  .  The  commerce  of  the  port  has 
steadily  increased;  roads  have  been  built  to  the  interior; 
farms  and  orchards  have  been  cultivated;  mines  have  been 
opened;  and  in  spite  of  "hard  times,"  the  county  has  con- 
tinually grown  in  population   and  wealth. 


CHAPTER  V 

SOME  ASPECTS  OF  LOCAL  LIFE 

HE  first  hotel  of  the  Hortoii  period  was  known 
as  "New  San  Diego  Hotel"  and  was  kept  by 
Captain  S.  S.  Dnnnells.  It  was  located  in 
one  of*  the  ready-framed  bnildings  of  1850,  and 
still  stands  on  the  northeast  corner  of  State 
and  F  Streets.  Mrs.  Dnnnells  says  of  the 
town  at  the  time  of  their  arrival: 

"The  only  water  in  the  place  was  in  a  well 
near  where  the  conrt  honse  now  stands.  The  soldiers'  burying 
ground  was  back  of  where  the  Horton  Honse  was  afterwards 
iniilt.  The  Ixxlies  were  later  moved  to  the  military  cemetery. 
Some  Indians  had  their  huts  on  what  is  now  Florence  Heights. 
Mrs.  I\Iathew  Sherman  was  our  only  neighbor;  she  lived  near 
her  present  residence.  There  was  also  a  German  in  charge  of 
Mannasse  &  Schiller's  lumber  yards.  One  day  Mrs.  Horton  took 
me  out  to  show  me  the  great  improvements  that  were  being 
made.  It  was  a  party  of  two  men,  cutting  brush  up  near  where 
the  Horton  House  stood  in  later  days." 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  INIrs.  H.  II.  Dougherty,  in  the 
old  government  barracks  building.  The  first  religious  service 
was  also  held  in  the  same  place,  in  1868,  by  Rev.  Sidney  AA^'il- 
bur.  A  number  of  the  early  comers  lived  in  this  old  building 
for  a  short  time  after  their  arrival,  until  accommodations  could 
be  provided  for  them  elsewhere. 

The  "Exposition  Circus  Company,"  which  arrived  January 
19,  1869,  gave  the  first  exhibition  of  the  kind  at  new  San  Diego. 
They  pitched  their  tent  on  State  Street,  near  the  New  San  Diego 
Hotel. 

Joseph  Nash  opened  the  first  general  store  in  new  San  Diego, 
in  a  building  still  standing  on  the  southeast  corner  of  State  and 
G  Streets,  now  occupied  by  II.  Kerber.  The  first  drug  store  was 
also  in  this  building.  Mr.  Nash,  on  his  opening  day,  gave  each 
lad^'  in  new  San  Diego  a  dress  pattern.  Among  his  clerks  were 
Charles  S.  Hamilton,  George  W.  Marston,  and  A.  B.  McKean. 
He  continued  in  Inisiness  at  San  Diego  many  years,  and  is  well 
remembered  by  old  inhabitants.  He  is  supposed  to  be  still  liv- 
ing, in  San  Francisco. 


FIRST  BIG  CELEBRATION 


377 


The  first  building  erected  in  llorlon's  Addition  was  the  one- 
story  frainr  bnilding  still  standing  on  the  east  side  of  Sixth 
Street  below  J,  munbored  857.  It  was  first  nsed  by  Mr.  ITorton 
as  an  offiw,  and  is  now  nsed  as  a  Chinese  laundry. 

The  postoffice  at  Ilorton's  Addition  was  established  in  May, 
1869.  and  i)i'.  Jacob  Allen  was  the  first  postmaster.  The  post- 
office  was  a  one-story  frame  building,  on  Fifth  below  F.  It  was 
officially  known  as  "South  San  Diego"  for  several  years.  The 
change  to  plain  San  Diego  was  dne  to  John  G.  Capron,  who  per- 
sonallx'  saw  the  assistant  postmaster-general  at  Washington,  and 
the  manager  of  the  exi)ress  company,  at  New  York,  and  had  the 
change  made,  and  at  the  same  time  changed  Old  San  Diego  to 
"North   San   Diego."     The  })eoi)le   were  surprised   when   these 


-nrMi! 


P^IFTH   AND   B    STREETS   IN   1S75 

The  large  building  shown  in  the  picture  stood  on  the  northwest  corner  and  faced 

south  on  B  Street 


changes  were  made,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  it  was  known 
how  they  were  brought  abont. 

The  first  jmblic  gathering  of  importance  in  new  San  Diego 
was  the  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  in  1869.  This  was 
an  occasion  long  remembered  by  the  inhabitants.  The  celebra- 
tion was  kept  up  for  three  days  and  nights,  and  "commenced 
on  Saturday  last  at  South  San  Diego  and  tei-niinated  in  danc- 
ing and  merrymaking  at  IMonument  City  and  Old  Town  on  Mon- 
day night,  or  rather,  on  Tuesday  morning.  From  the  commence- 
ment to  the  close  there  has  been,  so  far  as  we  could  hear,  but 
one  idea  prevailing — to  express  genuine  feelings  of  patriotism 
and  have  a  good  timt\     We  believe  the  ])eople  of  this  city  have 


378 


HISTORY  OF   SAN   DIEGO 


given  more  time  and  had  more  real  pleasure  tlu  past  three  days 
than  has  ever  been  known  here  before." 

The  celebration  at  South  San  Diego  was  held  in  the  large 
warerooms  of  Mr.  Horton.  Cannon  were  fir(  1  and  there  was 
a  jjrocession.  G.  W.  B.  McDonald  was  president  of  the  day, 
Rev.  Sidney  TVilbur  offered  the  prayer,  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence was  read  by  Captain  ^lathew  Sherman,  and  the  ora-' 
tioti  was  by  Daniel  Cleveland.     The  Union  says: 

The  oration  of  Mr.  Cleveland  was  at  once  calm,  dispassion- 
ate, tbouglitful,  and  scholarly.  Eapidly  reviewing  the  history 
of  the  eountr}'  from  its  first  settlement  to  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence, and  thence  on  up  to  the  present  time,  he  clearly 
stated    the   lessons   taught   us   in   the    liirtli    agonies    and    fearful 


NORTH   SIDE   OF   K   STREET 
Between  Fifth  and  Sixth  in  the  early  'TO's 


life  struggles  from  time  to  time  of  our  noble  war-scarred  Ee- 
publie;  and  in  setting  forth  Patriotism,  Love  of  Country,  and 
fidelity  to  her  constituted  authorities,  as  a  religious  duty,  im- 
posed by  God  himself,  and  from  which  no  earthly  power  can 
free  us,  he  struck  a  chord  which  met  with  an  answering  re- 
sponse  in    every   true   patriot 's   heart. 

In  April,  1870,  there  were  ten  stores  in  new  San  Diego: 
Joseph  Nash,  J.  S.  Mannasse  &  Co.,  ^McDonald  &  Co.,  A.  Panly 
&  Sons,  Bush  &  Hinds,  Lowenstein  &  Co..  J.  Council,  Whaley 
&  Crosthwaite,  Steiner  &  Klauber,  and  A.  B.  McKean  &  Co. 

In  May  of  this  year  occurred  the  opening  of  Horton 's  Hall 
as  a  theater.  In  tlie  following  July,  Rosario  Hall  was  opened. 
with  a  ball. 

On  April  27,  1871,  the  Union  says: 


LARGE  PROPERTY-OWNERS  379 

We  are  called  upon  to  chronicle  this  week  the  first  -wreck 
Avhich  has  ever  occurred  in  San  Diego  Bay.  During  the  gale 
on  Sunday  afternoon,  the  "Cosay"  bath  house  broke  from  its 
moorings  at  Hortou's  wharf  and  drifted  out  to  deep  water, 
where  it  foundered  and  went  to  pieces  in  a  very  few  moments. 

Ill  Octolx'i'.  1871,  the  city  cemetery,  Mount  Hope,  so  named 
by  ]\Irs.  Sherniaii,  was  set  aside  for  its  use  by  the  trustees.  The 
tract  contains  about  200  acres,  and  is  on  the  mesa  east  of  the 
end  of  ^I  Street. 

In  this  month  occurred  the  tirst  murder  in  the  history  of  new 
San  Diego.  Alexander  J.  Fenwick  shot  and  killed  Charles  Wil- 
son, in  Mannasse's  lumber  yard.  Wilson  had  an  Indian  wife 
whom  he  accused  of  infidelity  with  Fenwick.  The  murderer 
was  tried,  and  found  guilty;  the  case  was  appealed,  and  early 
in  1873  the  Supreme  Court  affirmed  the  decision.  Fenwick 
found  means  to  secure  poison,  which  he  took,  and  died  in  the 
jail  March  24,  1873 — the  day  set  for  his  execution.  Mrs.  Wilson 
also  killed  herself  with  poison. 

In  February,  1872,  the  assessor's  boolvs  showed  the  following 
list  of  sulistantial  citizens : 

A.   E.   Horton   was  assessed   for $124,971 

John  Porster    ; 87,681 

Kimball   Bros 52,849 

Sublett,   Felsenheld    &    Co 42,1.56 

San  Diego   &  Gila   E.  E.  Co 41,899 

Heirs  of   Miguel   de   Pedrorena,   deceased 36,766 

Louis  Eose   .36,330 

P.    W.    Smith 35,700 

J.   S.   Mannasse   &   Co 38,566 

Cave  J.   Couts 26,122 

Bank  of  San  Diego 20,000 

A.   F.   Hinehman 16,195 

Joseph   Xash  , 15,720 

Eefugio   Olivera    (Santa   Maria   rancho) 15,374 

E.   W.   Morse 14,840 

John    Wolfskin    14,559 

Levi   Chase    14,100 

Hawthorn    &    Wilcox 13,465 

Estate   of  Jose    Antonio   Aguirre,   deceased 21,500 

Eobert    Allison    13,238 

Estate  of  James  Hill,  deceased 11,616 

S.    S.    Culverwell 11,113 

McDonald    &  Co 10,165 

Juan    Salazar     10,000 

Louis  Hauck    9,099 

As  an  interesting  picture  of  conditions  at  the  time,  the  fol- 
lowing list  of  business  men  advertising  in  the  World  in  its  fii*st 
number  (July  25,  1872),  has  been  preserved: 


380 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


E.  R.  Morrisou.  watchiiKiktr  aiul  jewekr. 

E.   D.  Switzcr,  dealer  in  watches,  etc. 

J.   A.   Shepherd,   Notary  Public    and   Insurance   Agent. 

A.  P.  Frarj',  proprietor  of  Frary's  Addition  to  Xew  San  Diego. 

.John   H.    Richardson,   painter   and   carpet   upholsterer. 

A.   E.   Horton,  jiroprietor  of  Hortou  "s   extension  of   Xew  Town. 

Briaut  &  Lowell,  feed  and  sale  stables. 

J.   A.   Allen    &   Son,   pioneer   drug   store. 

J.  M.  Matthias,  general  merchandise  and  commission. 

C.   P.    Fessenden,   photographs. 


VIEW   TAKEN   FROM    THE   CORNER   OF   SEVENTH   AND   A   STREETS   IN   1875 

The  one-story  building  in  the  foreground  at  the  left  is  still   standing.     The  present  site  of 
the  B  Street  School  adjoins  it  on  the  south 


The   Horton   House. 

Steiner  &   Klauber,  general   merchandise. 

Dr.  D.  B.  Hoffman,   has  resumed  full   practice. 

J.  C.  Ha^'es  &  Co.,  real   estate  agents. 

Hathaway   &   Foster,   dealers  in   house   builders  goods. 

Smith  &  Craigue,  wholesale  wines,  liquors  and  cigars. 

Linforth,  Kellogg  &  Co.,  San  Francisco,  hardware  &  machinery. 

Collins,   Wheatnn    &   Luhrs,   San   Francisco,   provisions. 

Marshall   &   Haight,  San   Francisco,  provisions. 

Murpliy,   (irant   &   Co.,  San   Francisco,   dry  goods. 


MEN  WHO  ADVERTISED 


381 


J.    W.    Gale,    general    merchandise. 
United   States   Restaurant. 
•J.    Xash,    general    merehaudise. 

Culverwell    &    Jorres,    commission,    feed    and    grain. 
E.   W.   Morse,  insurance  agent. 
Era  House,  "Wm.   Townsley,  proprietor. 

Luckett's  {Station   on   the  Julian   Eoad;   George   Kendall,  prop. 
Allen's    Lung    Balsam;     Eedington,     Hostetter     &    Co.,     agents 
San  Francisco. 


LOOKING   UP   FIFTH   STREET   FROM    K   ABOUT   1875 

This  very   interesting  picture   is  a  good   representation   of  the  main   thoroughfare  as   it 

appeared  some  thirty  years  ago.     It  also  shows  that  part  of  the  business 

section  of  the  city  east  of  Fifth  Street,  as  it  then  appeared 


Gordon    &   Hazzard,   general   merchandise,   Xationa!    iJitj'. 

A.   Pauly    &    Sons,    general    merchandise. 

A.  ,J.   Chase,  real  estate. 

Clark  «S:  Harbison,  bees. 

Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Co.,   C.  P.   Taggart,  agent. 

X.  P.   Transportation   Co.,   Culverwell   &  .Torres,   agents. 

Smith   &   Craigue,   wines  and   liquors. 

The     Florence     Sewing     Machine,     Samuel     Hill,     agent,     San 

Francisco. 
Grover    &    Baker's    Sewing    Machine,    H.    B.    Hirschey,    agent 

for  San  Diego. 


382  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

^ia.jui'  lieu.  C.  Triiiiuui,  writing  iii  the  World,  states  a  num- 
ber of  matters  humorously,  thus : 

The  bulk  of  our  population  are  invalids;  the  rest  realize 
Burke's  description  of  the  French  revolutionists.  He  char- 
acterized these  worthies  as  "calculators,  sophists,  and  econo- 
mists." The  phrase  "  sophisters " '  may  be  justly  elided,  be- 
cause our  people  have  all  come  here  with  a  sagacious  pro- 
vision  of   the   future. 

Apropos  of  coming  liere,  jtretty  much  everybody  has  come  to 
San  Diego  some  time  or  other.  In  the  innocence  of  your 
heart,  you  mention  some  illustrious  or  notorious  name  to  a  San 
Diegan;  and,  instantly,  he  begins,  "When  so-and-so  lived  here," 
etc.  The  stranger  is  astonished  at  the  range  of  this  inventory 
of  famous  people.  It  includes  such  names  as  those  of  Sher- 
man, Thomas,  Eosecrans,  Kearny,  Magruder,  and  an  endless 
list  of  other  military  celebrities.  Wm.  H.  Seward  has  hob- 
nobbed with  our  citizens,  and  Old  Town  is  still  redolent  of 
the  jokes  of  the  brightest  spirits  that  have  lived  in  the  land, 
from  "John  Phoenix"  to  J.  Bankhead  Magruder  and  his  cor- 
poral, Jolmny  Murray.  .  .  .  We  have  the  old  time  peo- 
ple, who  used  to  sit  'round  with  John  Phoenix  and  crack  royal 
quips.  Many  of  these  old  stagers  don 't  believe  in  their  souls 
that  we  shall  ever  have  a  railroad.  They  play  "pitch"  and 
"seven-up"  and  look  pityingly  npon  the  poor  dupes  who  ex- 
pect to  ever  see  a  railroad  approach  our  bay.  They  have 
seen  so  many  fizzles  that  they  really  believe  that  the  mighty 
Railroad  King  is  as  big  a  ".Teremy  Diddler"  as  John  Charles 
Fremont.  They  have  all  obeyed  the  injunction  to  "laugh 
and  grow  fat,"  and  they  are  all  repositories  of  the  juiciest 
stories  ever  told  on  earth.  On  the  whole,  San  Diego  has  a 
■  good,  strong,  humorous,  cultivated,  and  devil-may-care  popu- 
lation, which  is  worthy  of  the  best  fortune  can  do  for  them, 
and  can  sustain  the  worst. 

Probably  the  genial  Major  was  thinking,  at  the  time  he  wrote 
this,  of  a  few  of  the  more  convivial  residents  of  Old  Town,  who 
were  somewhat  noted  for  their  ability  to  drink  long  and  deep. 

Mrs.  F.  L.  Nash  wrote  concerning  her  experience  in  San 
Diego,  during  the  "Tom  Scott"  boom: 

A  more  congenial,  delightful  class  of  people  would  be  hard 
to  find.  Out-of-door  excursions  were  even  more  common  than 
at  present,  and  the  ]iicnic  basket  was  always  within  easy 
reach,  ready  to  be  filled  at  a  moment 's  notice.  Point  Loma, 
Coronado,  La  JoUa,  Eose  Canyon,  and  El  Cajon  were  just  as 
jiopular  resorts  as  at  present. 

Kai'ly  in  December,  1875,  a  gang  of  Sonorran  bandits  made 
a  I'aid  on  the  town  of  Campo  and  tried  to  plunder  the  store  of. 
the  riaskill  brothei's.     A  liloody  fight  ensued,  in  which  the  Gas- 
kills  killed  one  of  the  robljcrs,  wounded  three  others,  and  were 
themselves   l)adlv   wounded.      (Bancroft   says   that   Luman   H. 


COUNTY  SEAT  REMOVAL  383 

Gaskill  was  killed;  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  is  alive  aud  well, 
today.)  The  citizens  of  Campo  hanged  two  of  the  captured 
bandits.  This  attack  was  so  bold  and  in  such  force,  that  con- 
siderable excitement  was  caused  throughout  San  Diego  County. 
A  public  meeting  was  held  in  San  Diego,  and  a  guard  sent  for 
the  protection  of  the  settlers  at  Campo.  A  few  daj^s  later.  Gen- 
eral Scofield  sent  a  companj^  of  cavalry  there,  and  the  trouble 
blew  over. 

In  February,  1876,  little  Grace  Frary,  daughter  of  Captain 
A.  P.  Frary,  became  lost  while  the  family  were  moving,  and 
remained  out  wandering  about  all  night.  The  next  day  she  was 
found  In'  a.  company  of  cavalry  which  had  been  ordered  out 
to  aid  in  the  search,  asleep  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs,  near  the 
salt  works. 

The  Chinese  came  to  San  Diego  in  considerable  numbers,  at 
an  early  day.  From  the  early  70 's,  they  were  practically  the 
only  help  employed  in  the  hotels,  and,  as  is  their  custom,  they 
soon  built  up  a  "Chinatown."  At  the  time  of  the  anti-Chinese 
riots  in  other  parts  of  the  state  in  1877,  an  effort  was  made  to 
provoke  an  attack  upon  the  Chinese  quarters  in  San  Diego.  A 
Avritten  agreement  pledging  the  signers  to  assist  in  ridding  the 
town  of  the  Chinese  was  circulated,  and  persons  refusiiig  to 
sign  were  threatened  and  even  assaulted.  The  better  class  of 
citizens,  becoming  aware  of  this,  took  prom])t  action.  A  meet- 
ing was  held,  addresses  made,  a  committee  of  public  safety 
enrolled,  and  a  watch  kept.  General  McDowell  ordered  that  this 
committee  should  have  the  use  of  any  government  arms  they 
might  need.  These  energetic  measures  entirely  srpK^lcbed  the 
threatened  riot. 

One  of  the  earliest  elements  in  the  rivalry  between  old  and 
new  San  Diego  was  the  question  of  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat,  and  the  seat  of  the  city  gov(M'nment,  to  the  ntnv  town.  This 
agitation  liegan  early  in  1869.  On  June  23d,  the  Fnion,  which 
was  then  published  at  Old  Town,  said  that  "the  county  is 
$90,000  in  debt  and  there  is  not  a  decent  public  building  in  it." 
There  was  a  general  agreement  that  new  public  buildings  were 
needed,  but  the  question  was,  where  should  they  he  l)uilt .'  The 
contest  grew  hot.  On  the  one  side  were  the  residents  and  i)i"op- 
erty  owners  of  Old  Town,  who  felt  that  such  a  change  meant 
ruin  for  them,  and  on  the  other,  the  ambitious  newcomers  to 
Tlorton's  Addition,  who  soon  began  to  outnumlxM'  their  oppo- 
nents.  On  July  9,  1870,  the  board  of  supervisors  ordered  the 
removal  of  the  county  records  from  the  old  town  to  the  new. 
Judge  Morrison,  of  the  district  court,  innnediately  i-ccjuii'cd  the 
clerk  to  make  all  writs  issued  from  liis  court  returnable  in  Old 
Town.     Gonutv  Judge  Thomas  IT.  Busli  issued  an  oi'dcr  dii'cct- 


384 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


ini--  the  sheriff  to  use  force,  if  necessary,  to  prevent  the  removal 
of  the  records,  and  a  i)osse  of  citizens  Avas  sunnnoned  to  aid  the 
sheriff,  a  cannon  planted  and  guard  mounted  in  front  of  the 
jail.  The  Union  put  it  that  Old  Town  had  seceded,  and  that 
"Lieut. -Gen.  Bush,  in  command  of  the  artillery,  threw  up  earth- 
works ill  front  of  the  .jail  and  placed  the  field  piece  in  position, 
and  now  the  innnortal  Bush,  seated  astride  of  the  plaza 
cannon,  his  soul  glowing  with  heroic  emotion,  exclaims:  'This 
rock  shall  fly  from  its  firm  l)ase  as  soon  as  I!'  " 

The  suj)ervisors  at  the  time  were  Joseph  C.  Riley,  E.  D. 
French,  and  G.  W.  B.  :\IcDonald.  In  September.  1870.  Judge 
Bush  removed  them  from  office  and  apixtinted  Charles  Thomas, 


'      i,,v-,;;-:     ■;.:'-        ^"•^JS'     '•^Swr -.iiiiii 
■  ►iSSaS-  ^  <'  '■  ■  "'Si'-  *J  -    '  ' 


VIEW   TAKEN   FJlOM   FIRST   AND   C    STREETS   ABOUT   1875 
At  the  left  of  the   picture  is  shown  the  old  Court  House  as  it  appeared  at  its  reconstruction 


J.  S.  ^rannasse,  and  William  E.  Flynn  in  their  |)laces.  Suit 
was  brought  to  restrain  the  old  supervisors  from  acting,  and  an 
ai)peal  taken  to  the  supreme  court,  the  case  being  entitled 
Heuck  r.s'.  French,  d  aJ.  Ou  Januai-y  27.  1871.  the  supreme 
court  decided  that  Judge  Bush  had  no  power  to  remove  the  old 
sup<'rvisors  or  appoint  new  ones.  In  the  meantime,  George  A. 
Bendleton.  the  old  ccmnty  clerk  and  recorder,  who  had  l)een 
most  active  in  trying  to  prevent  the  reuKn-al  of  the  county  seat 
and  records,  failed  in  health,  and  died  March  3rd.  and  Judge 
INIorrison  died  about  the  same  time.  The  sui)ei'visors  innnedi- 
afel\'  appointed  Ghalmers  Seott  to  the  vacant  ])osition.  jind  Scott 
lost  no  time  in  moviim'  the  records.  With  a  i)artv  of  two  or 
three  friends,  he  went  to  Old  Town  one  evening,  headed  the 
fcciirds  into  express  wa^'ons.  carried  them  to  TTot'ton's  .\ddition. 


BUILDING  THE  COURT  HOUSE 


385 


and  the  following  morning  (April  1,  1871)  was  ready  for  busi- 
ness at  the  new  place.  The  supervisors  had  rented  the  brick 
building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  G  Streets,  now 
occupied  by  A'ermilliou 's  grocery,  and  this  was  used  as  a  court 
house  until  a  new  building  was  constructed  and  ready  for  occu- 
pancy. This  was  the  end  of  the  court  controversy-  and  the  end 
of  the  predominance  of  Old  San  Diego  in  the  political  affairs  of 
the  connnunity. 

Contracts  were  quickly  let  for  the  construction  of  a  new  court 
house,  on  a  block  donated  by  Mr.  Horton.  The  ceremonies  of 
laying  the  cornerstone  took  place  on  August  12,  1871.  The 
speakers  were  Hon.  Horace  Maynard  of  Ohio  and  Judge  W.  T. 


GORDON   &   HAZZARD'S   STORE 
On  the  southwest  corner  of  Sixth  and  H  Streets,  the  present  site  of  the  Steele  Block 


]McNealy.  The  structure  was  •eom]iloted  and  turned  over  to  the 
county  early  in  June.  1872,  and  dedicated  with  a  grand  ball  on 
the  evening  of  the  -Ith  of  that  month,  as  befitted  the  first  public 
building  in  new  San  Diego.  The  building  was  60  feet  wide, 
100  feet  deep,  and  48  feet  high,  and  had  twelve  rooms,  includ- 
ing the  jail.  It  was  of  brick,  finished  with  plaster.  The  con- 
traetoi-  was  William  Jorres.  The  cost  was  $55,000,  paid  in 
20  year  7  per  cent  bonds. 

The  old  building  having  been  outgrown,  its  enlargement  and 
reconstruction  were  begun  on  July  19,  1888.  It  was  practi- 
cally two  years  under  construction,  being  turned  over  to  the 
supervisors  on  July  7,  1890.  It  is  built  of  brick  in  the  Italian 
Renaissance  style  and  is  a  substantial  building.  The  cost  was 
$200,000.     Tt  lias  a  frontage  of  lOfii  o  feet  and  a  depth,  includ- 


386  HISTORY  OF  SAN   DIEGO 

ing"  the  jail,  of  110  feet.  The  height,  from  base  to  dome,  is  126 
feet.  It  houses  comfortably  the  two  superior  courts  and  all  the 
county  officials  and  records  and  is  surrounded  by  a  large,  well- 
kept  yard. 

The  source  of  San  Diego's  title  to  its  pueblo  or  city  lands  is 
very  unusual.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  town  in  1835,  it 
became  entitled,  under  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  laws,  to  a  grant 
of  four  square  leagues  of  land.  The  formalities  necessary  to 
secure  this  grant  were  not  completed,  however,  until  ten  years 
later,  when  Captain  Henry  D.  Fitch  surveyed  the  boundaries 
of  the  lands  claimed  and  made  a  map.  This  map  was  sulimitted 
to  and  approved  by  Santiago  Argiiello,  the  sub-prefect  of  San 
Diego,  and  by  Governor  Pio  Pico,  and  thereupon  the  lands 
shown  on  this  map  became  the  common  property  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  pueblo,  and  the  officials  acquired  power  to  make 
grants  and  did  make  many. 

As  this  method  of  acquiring  title  was  unusual,  however,  there 
was  much  misunderetauding,  after  the  American  occupation, 
and  the  validity  of  the  city's  title  was  frequently  called  in 
question.  Steps  were  therefore  taken  to  have  it  confirmed  by 
every  possible  court  and  authority,  which  extended  over  more 
thaji  twenty  years,  and  resulted  in  the  issuance  of  the  patent 
in  1874  Avhich  settled  the  question  forever.  An  extract  from  the 
report  of  the  commissioner  of  the  General  Land  Office,  in  the 
case  of  the  contested  survey  of  the  pueblo  lands  of  San  Diego, 
dated  December  17,  1870,  will  make  this  clearer. 

The  presidio  of  San  Diego  was  established  in  May,  1769,  and 
the  pueblo  organized  in  1835,  but  no  official  survey  of  the 
pueblo  lands  appears  to  have  been  made  until  1845,  such  sur- 
vey having  been  then  executed  by  the  proper  authorities,  as- 
sisted by  citizens,  among  the  latter  being  Captain  Henry  D. 
Fitch,  who  prepared  the  map  of  the  survey.  This  map  was 
approved  by  the  prefect,  who  ordered  and  supervised  the  sur- 
vey, and  was  also  subsequently'  approved  by  the  governor, 
and  countersigned  l)y  the  secretary  of  the  state  government 
of  the  department. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  185.3,  the  president  and  l)oard  of 
trustees  of  the  city  of  San  Diego  filed  with  the  board  of  land 
commissioners  their  petition  for  confirmation  of  the  claim  of 
said  city  to  the  aforesaid  pueblo  lands  as  delineated  and  de- 
scribed on  the  map  prepared  by  Henry  D.  Fitch,  which  map 
accom})anied  the  said  petition,  the  opinion  and  de<M'ee  of 
the  board  being  as  follows:  "It  is  admitted  by  stipulation 
in  this  case  that  the  present  petitioners  were  created  a  body- 
corporate,  with  the  above  name  and  style,  by  the  legislature 
of  the  State  of  California,  on  the  28th  of  April,  1852,  and  as 
such  succeeded  to  all  the  right  and  claim  which  the  city  or 
pueblo  of  San  Diego  may  have  had  to  lands  formerly  be- 
longing  to    the   said   pueblo    of   San   Diego.      A   traced   copy  of 


DISPUTE  ABOUT  PUEBLO  LANDS  387 

an  espediente  from  the  archives  in  the  custody  of  the  United 
States  Surveyor  General,  duly  certified  by  that  officer,  is  filed 
in  the  case,  from  which  it  appears  that  by  order  of  the  ter- 
ritorial government  of  California,  the  ancient  presidio  of  San 
Diego  was  erected  into  a  pueblo,  with  a  regular  municipal  gov- 
ernment, in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1834  and  the  com- 
mencement of  1835.  It  is  also  in  proof  that  said  town  con- 
tinued its  existence  as  an  organized  corporation  until  the  7th 
day  of  July,  1846,  when  the  Americans  took  possession  of  the 
cou^tr3^  It  appears  further,  from  the  depositions  of  San- 
tiago Argiiello  and  Jose  Matias  Moreno,  that  in  the  year  1845 
the  boundai-ics  of  the  lands  assigned  to  said  pueblo  were  sur- 
veyed and  marked  out  under  the  superintendence  of  the  former, 
who  then  filled  the  office  of  sub-prefect,  and  the  two  alcaldes 
of  the  town.  That  the  lands  were  surveyed  and  a  map  of 
them  made  by  Captain  Henry  D.  Fitch,  since  deceased,  which 
inap  was  submitted  to  Governor  Pio  Pico,  and  duly  approved 
by    him.     .     .     . 

Upon  tlie  claim  coming  before  the  United  States  district 
court,  for  the  Southern  District  of  California,  at  its  June 
term,  1857,  the  appeal  taken  by  the  United  States,  in  con- 
formity with  the .  requirements  of  law,  was  dismissed  and  the 
decree  of  the  board  of  commissioners  rendered  final.  .  .  . 
A  survey  was  made  of  the  pueblo  lauds  of  San  Diego  by  John 
C.  Hays,  in  July,  1858,  under  instructions  from  the  United 
States  Surveyor  General  of  California,  said  survey  containing 
48,556.69  acres,  or  nearly  eleven  square  leagues,  and  being 
based  upon  the  map  prepared  by  Henry  D.  Fitch  .  .  .  re- 
sembling the  same  in  its  inclusion  of  the  more  prominent  land- 
marks, but  not  covering  so  large  an  area  as  the  said  map  is 
shown  to  include  by  the  position  of  said  landmarks  thereon 
and  the  scale  laid  down  on  its  margin.  This  survey  was  ap- 
proved by  the  surveyor  general  under  date  of  Dec.  4,  1858,  was 
advertised  in  supposed  conformity  with  the  act  of  June  14, 
]860,  re-advertised  under  the  act  of  July  1,  1864,  in  view  of 
the  ruling  of  the  Department  in  similar  cases  and  the  decision 
of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  the  ease  of  the  United 
States  vs.  Sepulveda,  and  now  comes  before  this  office  for  ex- 
amination   and    decision    upon    objections    thereto    filed.     .     .     . 

It  is  the  opinion  of  this  office  that  .  .  .  said  survey, 
after  having  been  amended,  should  receive  the  final  approval 
of   the  Department. 

The  amendment  suggested  related  to  the  exchision  of  the  mil- 
itary reservation  on  Point  Loma.  The  scope  of  this  decision  was 
merely  to  define  the  correct  boundaries  of  the  lands  to  which  the 
city  was  entitled.  The  Secretary  of  the  Interior  soon  after  ren- 
dered a  final  decision  affirming  the  city's  title  to  eleven  square 
leagues  of  land,  and  on  April  1,  1874,  the  United  States  issued 
a  patent  accordingly,  since  which  there  has  never  been  any  seri- 
ous question  raised  as  to  the  validity  of  the  title.  It  is  based 
upon  the  title  of  the  Mexican  government,  which  passed  to  the 
TTnited  States  by  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  sidiject  to 
tilt'  following  provision : 


388  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Mexicans  now  established  in  territories  previously  belong- 
ing to  Mexico,  and  which  remain  for  the  future  within  the 
limits  of  the  United  States  shall  .  .  .  retain  the  property 
which  they  possess  ...  or  disposing  thereof,  remove  the 
proceeds  wherever  they  please,  without  being  subjected  to 
any  contriliution,   tax,  or  charge  whatever. 


PART    FOURTH 

Period  of  "The  Great  Boom" 


w 


CHAPTER  I 

COMING  OF  THE   SANTA  FE 

HEN  the  first  through  train  aiTived  in  San 
Diego,  November  21.  1885.  the  railroad  dream 
which  had  filled  the  imagination  of  enterpris- 
ing citizens  for  more  than  thirty  years  came 
true.  The  event  was  the  most  potent  intiu- 
ciire  in  the  creation  of  "the  great  boom"  and 
the  largest  single  factor  in  making  the  city 
what  it  is  today,  yet  it  is  difficult  to  relate 
the  circumstances  which  preceded  and  followed  the  coming 
of  the  Santa  Fe  without  indulging  in  bitter  denunciation 
of  the  frenzied  financiers  who  greedily  took  all  that  San  Diego 
had  to  give  and  never  fulfilled  the  promises  upon  the  strength 
of  which  it  was  given. 

San  Diego  wanted  a  direct  route  to  the  East,  and  if  it  could 
not  be  direct  across  the  mountains  to  the  Colorado  River,  it 
wanted  a  route  as  nearly  direct  as  it  was  possilile  to  build  to  a 
connection  with  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  in  the  Mo.jave  River 
region.  This  Avas  (essential,  because  it  was  desired  to  l)uild  a 
city  at  the  incomjiarable  seaport,  rather  than  at  the  spot  where 
the  great  city  of  Los  Angeles  now  stands.  San  Diego  and 
National  City  wanted  a  real  terminal  on  the  Bay  "where  rail 
and  tide  meet"  as  the  basis  of  future  connnerce  witli  the  world 
of  the  Pacific. 

In  order  to  secure  these  advantages,  San  Diego  and  National 
City  raised  a  magnificent  subsidy,  a  ])art  of  which  was  sold  for 
not  less  than  $3,000,000  in  cash,  and  the  remainder  of  which  has 
been  appraised  by  its  owners  at  .$7,000,000.  This  subsidy-  was 
sufficient  to  defray,  twice  over,  the  entire  cost  of  building'  the 
road  f re  )n  National  City  to  Barstow,  and  yet  the  communitii^s 
M'hicli  C'.ntributed  so  generously  of  their  substance  to  get  a  rail- 
road never  owned  a  share  of  its  stock,  nor  had  the  slightest  voice 
in  directing  its  policy.  It  was  not  expected,  of  course,  that  the 
subscribers  to  the  sul)sidy  would  own  or  control  the  railroad, 
but  it  was  expected  that  the  road  should  be  built  and  pei-ma- 
nently  maintained  by  way  of  the  Temecula  Canyon,  a  fairly 
direct  route  from  the  seaport  to  the  East,  and  it  was  expected 
that  the  grand  tei-minal  of  the  Santa  Fe  svstem  should  be  estab- 


392  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

lished  on  San  Diego  Bay,  and  that  the  railroad  would  co-operate 
in  good  faith  in  the  development  of  oeean  eonunerce. 

These  reasonahle  hopes  were  disappointed.  After  a  very  few 
years,  the  Santa  Fe  moved  its  shops  to  San  Bernardino,  and  a 
little  later  to  Los  Angeles;  engaged  joyously  in  booming  the 
City  of  the  Angels;  finally  got  entrance  to  San  Francisco,  its 
present  real  terminus;  and  consistently  conspired  with  rival 
interests  to  deprive  San  Diego  of  connnerce  by  sea  and  railroad 
competition  by  lujid. 

These  circuuLstances  detract  nothing  from  the  credit  of  those 
who  organized  the  successful  effort  to  bring  the  railroad  to  the 
shores  of  the  Bay.  They  clearly  comi)rehended  the  urgent  need 
of  transportation  facilities  and  proceeded  to  meet  it  in  what 
was  doul)tless  the  only  possible  way  at  that  lime.  Nearly  every- 
body of  weight  in  the  eonnnunity  eo-operalcd  in  the  effort  and 
gave  generousl,^'  to  the  sul)sidy,  in  i)i-oportion  to  the  interest 
they  had  at  stake.  A  number  of  pul)lic-spirited  citizens  dedi- 
cated their  time  and  energies  to  tlu^  undet'tak'ing  and  persisted 
through  all  obstacles  until  the  result  was  accomplished.  But 
there  is  one  man  whose  sei-vice  was  so  cons])icuous  and  valuable 
as  to  require  special  acknowledgment.  This  is  Frank  A.  Kim- 
])al].  of  National  City,  who  conceived  tlic  undertaking,  who  ini- 
tiated it  with  the  aid  of  a  small  gi'oup  of  citizens,  who  went  to 
Boston  and  secured  a  contract  with  the  highest  officials  in  the 
Santa  Fe  system,  who  went  auain  to  renew  the  contract  after 
the  Hi'st  one  had  failed,  and  who.  with  his  brother,  Warren 
Kimball,  was  by  far  tlie  largest  contri])utor  to  the  subsidy. 

]\Ir.  Kimball  had  Ix^en  trying  to  interest  railroad  promoters 
as  far  back  as  1869,  when  he  dealt  with  the  representative  of 
General  John  C.  Fremont,  president  of  the  ^remi)his  &  El  Paso, 
which  was  a  m(n*e  fruitless  pi'oject.  In  1878,  he  cori-esponded 
with  Conuuodore  Yand(^rbilt,  who  answered  tliat  he  would  not 
"l)uild  a  mile  of  railroad  any  faster  than  ])ushed  to  it  hy 
com])etition,"  and  with  Jay  Gould,  who  said:  "I  don't  build 
I'ailfoads;  T  buy  them."  Aftei'  six  months  of  futih'  cni-respond- 
ence  witli  the  raih'oad  kings,  ]\lr.  Kiml)all  called  a  seci-et  meet- 
ing at  the  residence  of  E.  W.  ^lorse  on  Tenth  Street  in  the 
sprinu"  of  1870.  ]]('  and  Elizur  Steele  represented  National 
Cit\-,  while  .Mr.  .Morse  and  -I.  S.  (iordon  represented  San  Diego. 
John  G.  Caproii  joined  the  secret  committee  at  an  early  stage 
of  the  movement.  It  was  decided  that  a  vigorous  effort  should 
be  made  to  induce  one  of  the  railroads  then  building  across  the 
continent  to  come  to  San  Diego  Bay.  ]\Ir.  Kimball  was  selected 
to  represent  the  committee  in  the  East  and  started  on  his  mis- 
sion about  the-  first  of  June,  1870.  The  sum  of  $450  had  been 
raised   in   San  Diego  and  National   City  toward  the  expense  of 


KIMBALL  WINS  IN  BOSTON  393 

his  ti-ip,  and  he  raised  the  balance  by  puttiii<>-  a  niorl<>'aji-e  on 
liis  house.  Tie  took  with  him  the  endoi'semeiit  of  the  city  author- 
ities and  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Mr.  Kimball  went  first  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  soon  con- 
cluded that  there  was  no  hope  of  doinp;  anythinji'  with  the  Texas 
&  Pacific.  In  New  York  he  learned  what  he  could  of  tlic  inten- 
tions of  Stanford  and  IInntin<iton  and  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  best  hope  of  success  lay  with  the  Santa  Fe,  which  was 
determined  to  strike  the  Pacific  Ocean  somewhere^  and  which, 
as  he  soon  learned.  M'as  most  favorably  disposed  to  Guaymas, 
in  IMexico. 

]Mr.  Kimball  i-eniained  in  Boston  al)out  three  months  and  his 
correspondence  with  the  railroad  connnittee  dnrine-  that  |)eriod 
is  an  interestinu'  picture  of  the  times,  as  well  as  a  fascinating 
record  of  the  fluctuating  ho|)es  and  fears  of  this  lone  emissary 
from  the  sonthwestern  corner  of  the  Rei)nblic.  He  dealt,  chiefly, 
with  Thomas  Xickerson,  .president  of  the  Santa  Fe  system,  but 
also  frequently  met  other  officials  and  had  some  conferences 
Avith  the  full  board  of  directors.  Mr.  Kimball's  severest  critics 
admit  that  he  was  "a  terrible  sinoledianded  talker  in  those 
days,"  and  he  certainly  had  a  big  thing  to  talk  about  and  big 
men  with  whom  to  talk.  The  situation  was  one  which  called 
f(n-  the  utmost  tact,  shrewdness,  and  patience,  combined  with 
the  sort  of  enthusiasm  which  not  only  awakens  interest,  but  car- 
ries conviction,  as  well.  When  the  railroad  hopes  of  later  days 
are  recalled,  and  when  it  is  remembered  how  nmch  less  the 
friends  of  San  Diego  had  to  offer  in  1879  in  comparison  with 
their  present  claims  upon  the  attention  of  railroad  buildei-s.  no 
one  can  fail  to  appreciate  the  size  of  the  task  which  ^Ir.  Kimball 
undertook.  On  September  5,  1879,  he  telegraphed  E.  W.  Morse 
as  follows:  ''All  right;  leave  tonight.  Be  ready  to  act  on 
arrival." 

He  had  succeeded  in  getting  a  contract  which  provided  for  the 
building  of  a  railroad  within  eight  months  fortv  miles  "east- 
ward from  San  Diego.''  He  had  agreed  to  raise  $10,000  in  cash 
to  pay  for  the  right  of  way,  to  give  10,000  acres  of  land  fi'om 
the  National  Rancho,  to  get  as  much  additional  subsidy  as  ]»os- 
sible,  and  to  telegraph  definitely  what  conld  be  done  by  the 
l>eople  of  San  Diego  and  National  Citv  within  twelve  days  of 
his  arrival  home.  The  details  of  this  first  subsidy  are  of  no 
real  interest,  since  it  was  never  i)aid.  owing  to  a  radical  change 
in  the  policy  of  the  Santa  Fe.  It  is  important  to  n(^te.  however, 
that  the  expectation  at  that  time  was  that  the  road  would  be 
built  directly  east  to  the  Coloi-ado  Biver.  and  that  surveys  were 
actuallv  Ix'uun  to  that  end. 


394  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

This  preliminary  woi-k  gained  added  importance  from  the 
presence  of  three  representatives  of  \\\o  i-ailroad,  who  arrived 
October  8.  1879.  They  were  (leorge  B.  Willmr  and  Lncius  G. 
Pratt,  and  W.  R.  Morley,  chief  engineer.  These  gentlemen  re- 
mained in  San  Diego  six  weeks,  making  a  thorough  investigation. 
In  theii'  work  of  obtaining  exact  information  about  everything 
])ertaining  to  the  railroad  and  its  i)ros])(^cts  of  business,  their 
chief  reliance  appears  to  have  been  E.  W.  ]\Iorse,  who  worked 
indefatigably.  Mr.  ]\Iorse  was  a  very  modest  man,  and  claimed 
no  credit  for  himself,  but  it  is  the  universal  testimony  that  he 
rendei'ed  services  of  the  utmost  value. 

The  favoral)le  report  of  ^lessrs.  Will)ur  and  Pratt  was  quickly 
followed  by  the  beginning  of  actual  work  on  the  part  of  the 
company's  engineers.  It  looked  as  if  the  last  ()l)stacle  had  been 
successfully  passed,  but  such  was  not  the  case.  Within  two 
months  ;dl  work  was  stopped  by  peremptory  orders  from  Bos- 
ton. A  fateful  change  of  policy  liad  ])een  determined  upon 
without  consulting  the  people  of  San  Diego.  Instead  of  build- 
ing by  the  Southern  route,  the  Santa  Fe  had  suddenly  decided 
to  join  hands  with  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  in  order  to  share  in 
its  great  land  subsidy,  and  to  this  end  it  would  cross  the  Colo- 
rado River  at  the  Needles.  The  question  then  arose  as  to 
wli(4h('r  Siiii  Francisco,  rather  than  San  Diego,  should  not  be 
the  terminus  of  the  road.  At  any  rate,  it  was  decided  to  build 
to  the  Needles  first,  and  to  consider  extensions  later. 

Naturally,  San  Diego  was  plunged  in  the  deepest  gloom. 
Times  were  hai'd,  money  scarce,  and  prospects  dubious  in  every 
direction.  Still,  the  members  of  the  railroad  committee,  having 
been  so  ncai-  the  realization  of  their  hopes,  were  not  inclined  to 
give  ii|).  They  wanted  ^Ir.  Kimliall  to  make  another  trip  to 
Boston  and  endeavor  to  rencnv  the  contract  Avith  the  Santa  Fe, 
even  if  the  road  must  come  hy  wav  of  the  Needles.  John  G. 
ra])roii  was  especially  insistent,  and  it  was  finally  arranged  that 
.^1, <'<•()  should  be  borrowed  at  a  local  l)ank  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  the  tri]).  A  note  for  this  amount  was  signed  bv  Frank  A. 
Kimball.  John  G.  Capron,  E.  W.  Mors<'.  J.  S.  Gordoii.  E.  Steele. 
James  :\IcCoy.  O.  S.  Withci'l)v.  A.  ( )v(M'bauuh,  J.  A.  Fairchild, 
and  J.  Russ  &  Company.  Tims  Mr.  Kiml)all  went  liack  to  Bos- 
ton, lie  says  he  was  not  cordially  received  by  President  Nick- 
erson,  but  tiiially  sncctM'dcd  in  getting  an  audience  with  the 
diiv^ctoi-s.      Tic  furtlici-  I'chites: 

I  went  over  the  wliolc  orouiid  witli  them.  I  offered  to  re- 
new our  subsidy  of  10,000  acres  of  land.  They  said  they 
wanted  to  organize  a  syndicate  to  handle  the  land.  I  said  I 
would  put  in  6000  acres  of  hind  as  a  nucleus  for  the  Land  & 
Town  Coniiiiniv,  and   1(»,iM)0  acres  to  the  ]'ailroa<l,  and  that  thev 


FRANK   A.    KIMBALL 

The  man  to  whose  efforts  and  g-eneiosity  San  Diegro  is  chiefly  indebted  forthe  construction  of 

the  Santa  Fe  railroad  to  this  port.     His  brother,  Warren  C.  Kimball,  shares  with 

him  the  honor  of  making-  the  largest  contribution  to  the  railroad 

subsidy  and  also  of  founding  National   City 


396  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

could  tlK'ii  soil  the  lailroad  land  to  the  Laud  &  Towu  Com- 
pany, in  accordauco  with  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Frank  Pea- 
body.  In  addition  to  the  land  to  be  given  by  my  brother 
and  myself,  I  told  them  I  thought  I  could  raise  a  land  sub- 
sidy of  U),OUO  acres.  Thus  we  (the  Kimballs)  gave  16,000 
acres.  Then  we  sold  them  9000  acres  for  .$100,000  in  cash.  I 
told  them  we  owed  more  than  $60,000  and  asked  them  where 
my  brother  and  I  would  come  in.  Their  answer  Avas  that  they 
would  give  us  one-sixth  interest  in  all  they  owned  (the  sub- 
sidy)  and  this  we  accepted. 

He 'succeeded  in  organizing  a  syndicate  of  the  officers  and 
directoi-s  of  the  Santa  Fe  system,  consisting  of:  Thomas  Nick- 
erson,  the  president  of  the  company;  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Com- 
pany; (Jeorge  B.  Wilbur.  B.  P.  Cheney,  and  Lucius  G.  Pratt, 
the  gentlemen  being  directors  of  the  Santa  Fe.  The  provisions 
of  th(^  public  contract  were  similar  to  the  former  one,  except 
that  the  road  was  to  be  run  by  way  of  Colton  and  form  a  con- 
nection with  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific. 

21  r.  Kimball's  contract  provided  for  the  establishment  of  the 
grand  terminal  of  the  railroad  at  National  City.  This  was  not 
known  to  the  i)eople  of  San  Diego  at  the  time.  The  terms  of 
the  sul)sidy  merely  provided  that  the  terminal  should  be  "on 
the  Bay  of  San  Diego,"  and  it  was  expected  that  the  railroad 
authorities  would  select  whatever  spot  they  deemed  best  suited 
to  tlicir  inirpose.  As  National  City  was  a  very  heavy  contrib- 
utoi'  to  the  subsidy,  it  certainly  had  the  same  right  to  consider- 
ation as  San  Diego,  Imt  since  the  terms  of  the  agreement  were 
not  generally  understood  to  discriminate  l)etween  the  two  loca- 
tions it  is  not  strange  that  Mr.  Kimball  was  sharply  criticised 
by  San  Diego  subscribers.  On  Mr.  Kimball's  return  from  his 
second  successful  trip  to  Boston,  the  railroad  committee  appealed 
to  the  pu])lic  for  subscriptions.  Their  work  was  phenomenally 
successful.  They  raised  a  subsidy  in  cash,  notes  and  land  as 
folbnvs: 

Acres  Tjots 

Allison,    Jos.    A.    and    .[.    M .$  .S(in 

Arnold,    C.    M nO 

Aylworth,  E (;."> 

Backesto,    Dr.   J.    P ion 

Bank   of   San    Diego 1000 

Barnes,    G.    W r>()  1 

Bass,   John   D 50 

Baugh,    W.    A 100 

Begole,    W.    A 50  1 

Beniis,    Marco     25 

Bennett,    T JO 

Benton,   W.    W 25 

Bernard,   Charles    50 

Bidwell,   James    50 

Birdsalj,  .1.   D 250 


CONTRIBUTORS  TO  SANTA  FE  FUND 


397 


Bowers,    W.    \V l'(i() 

Bowers,  M 

Boyd,   J.    B 1(H) 

Bradt  &  Sons ., 50 

Bratton,    S.    H .' 50 

Brittou,    W.    &    L 

Brown,    II.    H 50 

Brown,   J.    E 1 00 

Buell,    E.    J 50 

Callaghan,  John    100 

Campbell,    B.    P 100 

Campbell,   J.    N 100 

Cantlin,   Martin    50 

Caprou,   John    G 750 

Carroll,   F.    M 100 

Carver,    J.    J 

Cassidj',   Andrew    

Castle,  F.  A.  and  A.   Klaiiber 

Cave,    D ' 

Chase,    Chas.    A 75 

Chase,  A.  J 

Christensen.   J.    P 50 

Choate,  D 400 

Church,  C.  C 25 

Clark,  George  T ' 50 

Clark,   John    25 

Clark,   M.    L 

Cleveland.    Daniel    

Cohn,   J.    A 50 

Cole,    A.    A 

Commercial   Bank    

Conklin,   N.   H 

Cook,   Henry    50 

Corbett,    EHzabeth    100 

Cowles,   Alfred    

Cowles,  F.  H 

Coyne,   Joseph    100 

Crowell,  Mrs.  F.  M 25 

Culver,   C.  B 100 

Dannals,   Geo.   M 50 

Desmond,  John    

Dievendorff,   C.   A 200 

Dobler,  C 150 

Dodge,   Rev.   R.  V 400 

Dougherty,  H,  H 25 

Downey,  .Tohn   G 

Doyle,"  John    T 

Drknga,  N.   G.   0 100 

Dunham,   Mrs.    C 

Dunn,    W.    B 

Eaton,  A.  N.  and  E.  D 

Emory,   Gen.   Wm.   H 

Evans,    A .    E 

Fairchild,  J.    A 200 


Acres 

.30 

65 


Lots 


36 


50 
50 


10 


55 


20 


20 


20 
20 

40 


1 

27 

1 
46 
23 


13 


300 


398  HISTORY   OF   SAN  DIEGO 

Acres  Lots 

Faivre  Jost  pli   10 

Farrcll,   Thomas    '23 

Felsenhelcl,   David    12 

Fenn,  Dr.   C.   M lOU 

Fischer,  Johu    100 

Folger    &    Schiimai) 1 

Forster,  Johu    2-jO 

Forster,    M.    A 100 

Fox,   C.   J 100 

Francisco,   C.    F lOO 

Frisbie,   J.    C -10 

Frisbie,  J.  O 200 

Gassen,    A.    L\ 

Geddes,   George    20 

Gerichteu,    C.    P 250  40 

Ginii,  Mrs.  Mary  S 250  6 

Gordon   &   Hazzanl 500 

Gordon  &  Hazzard,  Morse  &  Steele..  80 

Goss,  Thomas   230 

Gruendike,    JacoD    500 

Guion,  D 100 

Gunn,   Douglas    100  40 

Hall,  E.  B K'O 

Hamilton,   Chas.   8 500 

Hamilton,   Fred   M 100 

Hamilton,  M.  D 150 

Hammer.  M.  B SO 

Hauke,   Carl  T 50 

Harbison,    J.     S 150  1 

Hatleberg,    J.    ( ) % 

Henarie,   D.    V.   B 250 

Hendrick,    E.    W 25 

Herman,    D.    C 250 

Herrander,  Johu    50 

Hicks,  John  J 100 

Higgins,   H.   M 40 

High,   John   E 80 

High,   William  E 80 

Hinchman,  A.  F 48 

Hinton,  J.  B 160 

Hitchcock,   G.  N 100 

Hoffman,    John    ( " 25 

Hollister,   D.   A •. 100 

Holm,  Julius   50 

Horton,   A.    E 250 

Howard,  Bryant    500 

Hubbell,  Charles    30 

Hyde,  George    000  20 

Tlilstrom,    L.    J TOO 

Johnson,    Robert     1 

Jones,  E.  L 50 

Jones,  S.  ]' 300 

Jones,  T.   S 300 

Jorres,  WiUKini    100       • 


CONTRIBUTORS  TO  SANTA  FE  FUND         399 

Acres  Lots 

Josse,  L.  M no 

Jounioay,  George   15U 

Julian,  A.  H 75 

Julian  J.   M 100 

Kelly,    Robert     150  20 

Kimball  Bros 10,000 

Knowles,   A.    P lOO 

Knowles,    Anna    .Selieper 100 

Koster,  P 300 

Lankersbim,  ] 4  2  3 

Larson    &    Wescott 400 

Leach,  Wallace   200 

Lehman,  Theodore    100 

Levi,  S 100  1 

Littlefield,  Sheldon   100 

Littlefield,   S.   and   E.   Stanwood 6 

Llewellyn,    William    20 

Lockling,  L.  L 1 

Louis,  Isidor 1 

Lowell,   Fred    B 50 

Luce,  M.  A .  /. 100  100 

Mabury,   H.   and   W 12 

Mannasse  and  Schiller 1 

Marston,   George   W 300 

Marston,  Harriet    12 

Maxcy,  A.  E 150 

May,  Chas.  E 50 

McCarthy,  M.  J 50 

McClain,    J.    W 25 

McCool,  W 20 

McCoy,  James    250  40 

McDonald,  G.  W.  B 80 

Mcintosh,  F 2 

McRae,  Daniel    100 

Menke,    A 25 

Minear,    W.    L 50 

Morrow,   Eichard    5 

Morse,    E.    W 750 

Mumf ord,    J.    V 50 

JSTeale,   George    50 

Nocll,   Chas.   P 18 

Norris,    W.    B 50 

Nottage,  E.  W 25 

O  'Leary,   Edmund    25 

Overbangh,  A 500  12 

Owens,  Edward   15 

Page,   Mrs.  A.   C 50 

Paine,  J.  O.  W 50 

Palmer,   Oscar    1 00 

Pearson,  A.  B 25 

Pearson,    J.    L 100 

Perigo,    Wm 50 

Perrv,  Mrs.  C.  L 50 

Perry,   H.    A 50 


400  HISTORY   OF   SAN  DIEGO 

Acres  Lots 

Peyser,  M 2 

I'idgeon,    Geu.    S 100 

Pierce,  James  M 500 

Poser,    II.   von 50 

Eaffi,   G 100 

Eeed,  ArabeJI:i    25 

Eeed,   D.    C 150 

Eemondino,    P.    (' 200  2 

Eenuic,  Gilbert    150 

Beupscbe,  William    25 

Eice,  H.  B 100 

Eicbardsoii,    John    H 25 

Eicbter,  Hulda    1 

Eogers,    E.    0 100 

Eose,    Louis    250 

Eussell,  James    50 

Bouland,  N.  1' 6 

Ban    Diego,    City    of 4500  124 

Scbneider,    Arnold     200 

Scbuyler,  D 6 

Seeley,  A.  L 100 

Selwyn,  G.  A 80 

Sbelby,  J.   T 2 

Sbellenberger,   Amos    50 

Sheriff,  J.  A 250 

Simpson,   J.   31 150 

Slade,   Samuel    100 

Smitb,   P.   N 10 

Smitb,    Will    M 150 

Snyder,    J.    H 200 

Stanwood,   Elizabetb    100 

Steiner    &    Klauber 40 

Stewart,   D 20 

Stewart,    W.    W 200 

Stockton,  Dr.   T.   C 12 

Stone,  Francis    15 

Stone,    George    M 100 

Story,  .Joseph    100 

Stow,  John  P 25 

Strauss,  Kohnstrom  &  Blum 1 

Surbeek,  G 25 

Swain,  W.   H 100 

Tallman,   E.   il 100 

Terry,  W.  W 125 

Thompson.     J.     W 100 

Todd,  James   50 

Trask,  P.  H 25 

Trask,  Eoswell    25 

Treat,  John    2 

TJtt,    Lee    H 10  2 

Wadbam,   J.   F 100 

Wallach,   D 100  4 

Walsh,    W.    J 15 

Walter,    Otto    100 


LITIGATION  WITH  SCOTT  401 

AciTs  Lots 

Ware,   K.   .) 40 

"Catkins,   X.  and   E.  B 40 

AVeutscher,  A 250 

Wescott,  J.  "\V 50 

Wetmore,    Clias.    A 250                                      6 

Whaley,    Thomas    100 

Whear,   E.   8 100 

Wheeler,   M.    C 100 

Whitmore,    S 1 00 

Wilcox.   A.   H 1000                 SO 

Willey,    H.    1 150 

Williams,    W.    E 50 

Williams,   W.   L 500 

Winter,    L.    &   Bro 200 

Witherby,    O.    S 120               19 

Witfield,  G 10 

Wright,    Ealpb    L 25 

Wright,   W.   W 100 

Wolfskin,    J.    W 120 

Yenawine,  Samuel    .  .• 20 

Young,  James  M 25 

Young,    John    X 100 

Young    iS:    Gray 80 


.$25,410  17,355%   485  2-3 

111  connection  with  this  new  subsidy,  the  successful  effort  to 
recover  lands  given  to  the  Texas  &  Pacific  in  consideration  of 
benefits  never  received,  is  a  matter  of  much  historical  interest. 
The  movement  began  in  1876  with  a  suit  brought  by  W.  Jeff. 
Gatewood  and  A.  B.  Hotchkiss  in  the  name  of  Thomas  H.  Bush, 
a  taxpayer,  against  James  A.  Evans,  the  resident  engineer,  and 
Colonel  Thos.  A.  Scott,  president  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific.  The 
suit  aimed  to  annul  deeds  made  in  1872  by  the  city  to  Evans, 
the  land  having  been  aftemvard  conveyed  to  the  railroad.  The 
ground  of  the  suit  was,  of  course,  failure  of  consideration. 

The  suit  was  begun  on  April  10,  1876,  in  the  district  court  of 
San  Diego  County.  On  January  20,  1879,  Wallace  Leach  was 
admitted  as  one  of  the  attorneys  for  the  plaintiff.  Evans  and 
Scott  had,  in  the  meantime,  disclaimed  any  interest  in  the 
lands  in  controversy,  and  in  November,  1879,  the  action  was 
dismissed  as  to  them.  This  left  the  railroad  company  as  the  sole 
defendant.  Though  the  suit  was  unpopular  at  first,  the  city 
of  San  Diego  filed  its  intervention  as  plaintiff  on  January  6, 
1877,  and  thereafter  the  suit  was  prosecuted  in  its  name.  ^Ir. 
Daniel  Cleveland,  as  counsel  for  the  Texas  &  Pacific,  asked  for 
the  removal  of  the  cause  from  the  state  to  the  United  States 
Court,  but  the  petition  was  denied. 

This  was  the  situation  when  the  negotiations  with  the  Santa 
Fe  officials  reached  a  hopeful  stage.     It  was  said,  and  generally 


402 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


believed,  that  if  tlie  city  had  at  its  disposal  the  lauds,  or  even 
one-half  of  the  lands,  given  to  Scott  in  1872  the  railroad  could 
be  secured.  With  this  idea  in  mind,  President  INIcCartliy  of  the 
city  trustees  sent  the  following  telegram: 

San  Diego,  California,  Dec.  18,  1879. 
Tliomas   A.    Scott, 

President   of   Texas   &   Pacific   Railway  Company, 
Pliiladt  Ipliia,  Pennsylvania. 


D.    O.    MCCARTHY 

President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  at  the  time  settlement  was  made  with  Thomas 
A.  Scott  in  regard  to  the  City's  contribution  to  the  Texas  &  Pacific  subsidy 


With  a  view  to  amicable  future  relations,  to  avoid  expensive 
litigation  and  in  the  interests  of  immediate  development  and 
enhancement  of  all  values  here,  thereby  saving  many  of  our 
best  citizens  from  absolute  ruin,  are  you  willing  to  deed  un- 
conditionally, to  the  Atchison.  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
way Company,  pueblo  lots  11.58,  w^est  half  of  1163,  and  frac- 
tional lots  1164,  you  keeping  11.59,  1162,  and  east  half  of  1163; 
all  of  the  balance  of  the  land  in  litigation  to  be  equally  di- 
vided and  the  pending  suit  to  be  discontinued  and  amicably 
settled?     Answer  unreservedly,  with  understanding  that  in  the 


TEXAS  AND  PACIFIC  SETTLEMENT 


403 


event  of  I'm i lure  of  negotiations  the  des|mtclics  be   not  useil   to 
affect  the  rights  of  citlicr  party. 

I).  O.  McCarthy, 

President   Board   Trustees. 
Very  promptly,  Seott  replied  as  follows : 

I'niLADELPHiA,  Dec.    19,  1879. 
D.  O.  McCarthy, 

President   Trnstees,   San   Diego,   California: 
Yonr    despatch    of    the    18th    received.      Our    desire 
has    always   been    to    do    the   best    possil)le    for    tlie    interests    of 


M.    A.    LUCE 

Attorney  and  Vice-President  Southern  California  Raihoad.  at  the  time  the  Santa 

Fe  Railroad  was  built.     Judg-e  of  County   Court   1875-80,   when   Superior 

Court  was  established;  postmaster,  1898-02;  classmate  of  President 

McKinley  at  Albany  law  school.     President  Board  of 

Trustees  of  Unitarian  Society  since  1898;  First 

Commanderof  Heintzelman  Post,  G.  A.  R. 


San  Diego.  We  will  do  what  you  desire,  provided  all  pend- 
ing suits  are  settled  in  such  a  way  that  no  future  annoyance 
or  litigation  can  arise  out  of  the  lands  that  were  deeded  to  our 
company,  either  by  entering  judgment  on  present  .suit  so  as 
to  cover  the  basis  of  the  present  settlement  or  in  such  other 
form  as  our  legal  officers  may  approve,  so  that  no  possible  cloud 
may  rest  upon  the  lands  retained  by  our  conipan /.  .\nsAver  if 
this  is  satisfactory. 

Thomas   A.   Scott. 


404  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

^\v.  Mc'C'ai'tliy  answered: 

San  Diego,  dec.  20,  1879 
Tliomas   A.    Scott, 

Philadelphia: 
Satisfactory.     Will    arrange    details    with   your    coun- 
sel.    Please   instruct   them. 

D.  O.  McCarthy, 

President  Board  City  Trustees. 

It  would  appear  that  there  should  have  been  no  delay  what- 
ever in  'closing  the  transaction,  yet  two  anxious  months  inter- 
vened before  it  was  consummated.  There  was  considerable  sen- 
timent in  the  community  against  the  acceptance  of  a  compro- 
mise Avhich  gave  the  Texas  &  Pacific  the  right  to  retain  any  of 
the  land  which  had  been  given  in  consideration  of  its  unfulfilled 
promises  to  the  people  of  San  Diego,  and  many  citizens  urged 
the  trustees  to  push  the  litigation  to  the  bitter  end,  notwith- 
standing the  exchange  of  telegrams  which,  as  we  study  them 
now,  seem  to  have  had  the  binding  force  of  a  contract.  Some 
affected  to  l)elieve  that  Scott  was  not  acting  in  good  faith,  and 
it  is  said  that  the  legal  advisers  of  the  city  trustees  strongly 
urged  them  to  continue  the  litigation.  On  the  other  hand,  a 
large  element  of  the  pulilie  realized  the  urgency  of  a  settlement 
in  view  of  the  pending  negotiations  with  the  Santa  Fe  and 
became  daily  more  impatient  in  their  demand  for  action.  The 
committee  of  the  Boston  syndicate,  Messrs.  Wilbur  and  Pratt, 
were  in  San  Diego  at  the  time  and  threw  their  influence  into 
the  situation.  When  public  interest  in  the  matter  had  risen  to 
a  state  of  actual  excitement,  E.  W.  Morse  and  other  citizens 
appealed  to  the  trustees  to  end  the  delay.  This  appeal  was  suc- 
cessful, and  commissioners  were  named  to  apportion  the  lands 
in  controversy. 

Finally,  on  February  10,  1880,  the  suit  was  set  for  trial.  On 
the  24th  of  the  same  month,  the  appointed  day,  the  court-room 
was  packed  with  citizens,  and  there  was  much  suppressed  excite- 
ment. Wilbur  and  Pratt  were  present.  Judgment  agreed  upon 
by  the  parties  was  entered,  awarding  to  the  defendant  one-half 
of  all  the  lands  in  controversy,  and  awarding  the  other  half  to 
Charles  S.  Hamilton  as  trustee  for  the  public,  with  the  under- 
standing that  he  would  hold  and  convey  these  lands  for  railroad 
uses,  as  he  afterwards  did. 

The  progress  of  the  new  railroad  was  now  rapid.  The  Cali- 
for]]ia  Southern  Railroad  was  chartered  October  12.  1880,  for 
the  construction  of  a  raili-oad  from  National  City  to  San  Ber- 
nardino. The  officers  were:  President,  Benjamin  Kimball,  of 
Boston:  vicc-pi-csidcnt.  M.  A.  Luce,  of  San  Diego,  dii'eetors, 
George  B.  Wilbur,  Lucius  G.  Pratt,  John  A.  Fairchild,  Frank 


TEMECULA  CANYON  WASH-OUT  405 

A.  Kimball;  attorney,  M.  A.  Tjiice.  In  Noveinl)er  the  delivery 
of  the  escrow  notes  began,  and  coustruetion  work  proceeded  rap- 
idly. By  March,  1881,  the  grading  Avas  completed  between  San 
Diego  and  National  City,  and  there  was  a  gap  of  sixty  miles 
between  the  two  grading  camps  north  of  San  Diego. 

The  first  rail  Avas  laid  at  National  City  in  June,  1881,  and 
on  July  27th  the  first  train,  a  "special,"  left  that  place.  On 
November  2,  1882,  a  circular  of  the  railroad  company  announced 
the  completion  and  opening  of  the  road  to  Colton,  and  stated 
that  the  directors  had  decided  to  extend  it  to  San  Bernardino. 
It  was  opened  to  the  latter  point  on  September  13,  1883. 

Thus  far,  all  appeared  to  ])e  going  well,  but  there  was  more 
trouble  in  store  for  San  Diego  and  its  railroad  hopes.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1884,  a  series  of  violent  storms  descended  and  literally 
destroyed  the  section  of  the  railroad  through  Temecula  Canyon, 
carrying  out  thirty  miles  of  track.  Between  Oceansicle  and 
Temecula  there  was  scarcely  a  hundred  yards  of  track  left,  and 
the  timbers  were  seen  one  hundred  miles  nt  sea.  The  road  had 
been  built  too  low  by  eastern  engineers  who  did  not  understand 
the  action  of  torrential  streams  in  a  bare  and  rocky  soil. 

For  nine  long  months  San  Diego  was  without  rail  communi- 
cation with  the  rest  of  the  world  afte-.*  its  brief  taste  of  that 
luxury.  ^Fany  feared  that  the  road  Avould  never  be  rebuilt,  and 
left  the  city  in  consequence.  The  company  was  without  funds, 
and  the  amount  needed  to  repair  the  damage  was  about  $250,000. 
At  length,  funds  were  raised  by  means  of  a  second  mortgage 
and  the  location  through  Temecula  Canyon  was  improved,  but 
only  to  be  abandoned.  A  new  line  was  built  up  the  coast  to  San 
Juan  Capistrano  and  Santa  Ana  and  the  direct  route  by  way 
of  Temecula  Canyon  permanently  al)andoned.  From  that  time 
forward  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  ceased  to  serve  the  ]Hirpose 
which  the  ]ieople  of  San  Diego  had  in  mind  when  they  contrib- 
uted their  subsidy — the  purpose  of  developing  a  seaport  as  the 
direct  outlet  of  a  true  transcontinental  railway — but  this  was 
not  fully  appreciated  at  the  time. 

Aside  from  the  disastrous  flood,  there  was  another  serious  con- 
dition which  arose  to  mar  the  prospects  of  a  thi'oueh  line.  This 
was  the  fact  that  the  Southern  Pacific  had  acquii-ed  some  degree 
of  control  in  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  and  proceeded  to  construct 
a  road  from  Mojave  to  Needles.  For  a  time,  tliis  looked  like  a 
death  blow  to  the  California  Southern,  thus  apparently  deprived 
of  all  hope  of  an  Eastern  connection  and  compelled  to  build  an 
expensive  connecting  link.  800  miles  long,  ovei-  a  tnoinitainous 
and  desert  country  from  San  Bernardino,  even  to  connect  with 
a  semi-hostile  road  at  Barstow.  This  difficultv  was  finally  dis- 
solved when  the  Santa  Fe   regained   conti-ol   of  the  Atlantic  & 


406  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Pacific  and  compelled  the  Southern  Pacific  to  relinquish  the 
road  from  Needles  to  Barstow  by  threatening  to  parallel  the 
track  if  they  tried  to  keep  them  out  an}'  longer. 

Confidence  now  revived,  the  work  was  completed,  and  the 
first  through  train  left  San  Diego  November  15,  1885.  It  con- 
sisted of  one  passenger  coach,  with  an  engine,  mail  and  express 
car.  The  engineer  was  A.  D.  Xander;  the  fireman,  E.  W.  Boyd; 
conductor,  Clarence  Henderson ;  baggage  agent,  Mr.  Schuman ; 
express  messenger,  E.  A.  Harvey,  and  mail  clerk,  A.  A.  Robin- 
son. About  a  hundred  people  were  at  the  depot  to  see  the  train 
olf.  The  first  through  train  arrived  November  21,  1885,  in  a 
pouring  rain.  It  brought  about  sixty  passengers,  all  but  fifteen 
of  whom  were  for  San  Diego.  This  train  was  received  at  San 
Bernardino  with  fireworks  and  at  Colton  by  a  large  number  of 
citizens  and  a  brass  band.  It  consisted  of  two  coaches,  with 
mail  and  baggage  cars. 

The  people  of  San  Diego  now  felt  that,  at  last,  their  cup  of 
joy  was  full,  and  proceeded  to  celebrate.  Douglas  Gunn.  on 
behalf  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  issued  the  following 
invitations : 

San  Diego,  Cal.,  October,  188.5. 
Dear  Sir: 

You  are  respectfully  requested  to  be  present  at  the 
celebration  of  the  opening  of  the  through  railway  line  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Pe  system  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
at  the  port  of  San  Diego,  to  be  held  in  this  city  on  Wednes- 
day, November   18,   1885. 

The  completion  of  this  line,  establishing  a  fourth  great  high- 
way between  oceans  in  the  United  States,  is  an  event  whose 
importance,  not  alone  to  this  city,  but  to  the  State  and  coast, 
cannot   be  overestimated.  §k 

The  people  of  San  Diego,  with  persistent  energy  and  stead- 
fast faith,  have  for  a  long  period  of  years  looked  forward  to 
the  day  that  is  now  so  close  at  hand.  They  will  cordially 
greet  you  at  their  jubilee. 

I  am  very  respectfully, 

DOITGLAS    GUNN, 

Chairman   Committee   on   Invitations. 

This  celebration  is  rememl)ered  as  a  very  joyous  occasion,  and 
doubtless  the  hearts  of  the  old  campaigners  who  had  been 
through  the  Texas  &  Pacific  and  ]\Iemphis  &  El  Paso,  if  not 
through  the  San  Diego  &  Gila,  campaigns,  melted  Avithin  them 
as  they  recalled  the  hard-fought  ccntests  of  the  past  and  real- 
ized that,  at  last,  victory  had  conseLi!:ed  to  perch  upon  their 
standards.  \»i 

But  alas!  Fate  had  not  yet  done  her  Worst.  In  the  language 
of  an  amusing,  if  not  classical,  poet: 


BAD  FAITH  OF  THE  SANTA  FE  407 

O  fato,   thou   art   a   lobster,   but   not   dead! 
Silently    dost   thou   grab,   e'en   as   the   cop 
Nabs  the  poor  hobo,  sneaking  from  a  shop 
With   some    rich    geezer's    tile    upon    his   head. 
By    thy   fake   propositions    are    we   led 
To   get   quite   chesty,   when  it's   biffi    kerflop! 
We   take   a   tumble   and   the   cog   wheels  stop, 
Leaving  the  patient   seeing  stars   in  bed. 

The  utter  bad  faith  of  tlie  Santa  Fe  as  a  corporation — not 
necessarily  the  bad  faith  of  individuals,  for  individuals  die, 
resign,  or  fall  from  power — was  gradually  demonstrated  to  the 
satisfaction  of  those  of  even  the  dullest  understanding.  First, 
the  dream  of  steamships  and  Oriental  commerce  faded  away. 
No  steamships  were  provided  and,  in  later  years,  when  com- 
merce came  across  the  ocean  to  the  city's  gates,  the  Santa  Fe 
Railroad  drove  it  away  by  prohibitive  rates.  Next,  the  "grand 
terminal''  for  which  much  material  had  actually  been  assembled, 
melted  away  into  thin  air  and  it  became  apparent  that  no  such 
terminal  was  intended  to  be  established  on  the  Bay  of  San 
Diego.  At  last,  the  shops  and  offices  Avere  removed  to  San  Ber- 
nardino and  Los  Angeles.  This  last  stroke  was  not  inflicted 
l)i"azenly,  but  with  a  show  of  good  intentions  which  softened  the 
blow,  yet  made  no  difference  in  the  result.  In  the  spring  of 
1889  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  asked  to  meet  officials  of 
the  Santa  Fe  to  discuss  an  important  matter.  Judge  ]\I.  A. 
Luce  is  authority  for  the  following  account  of  the  affair: 

The  meeting  was  addressed  by  the  manager  of  the  Califor- 
nia Southern  Eailroad  and  Judge  Brunson,  the  general  counsel 
of  the  railroad.  They  wished  to  have  the  general  offices  of 
the  company  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  especially  the  general 
freight  offices,  which  st^l  remained  in  San  Diego.  They  wislied 
this  done  with  the  full  ap])robation  of  the  City  of  San  Diego; 
and  as  an  inducement  to  do  this,  they  both  alleged  and  prom- 
ised that  the  railroad  would  immediately  take  steps  to  reduce 
the  Sorrento  and  Del  Mar  Grade,  either  by  tunnel  or  new  line, 
so  that  freights  could  be  carried  from  San  Diego  to  Los  An- 
geles, at  cheaper  rates.  They  also  promised  to  extend  their 
wharf  facilities  in  the  city,  which  to  some  extent,  they  have 
carried  out.  And  it  was  stated  that  their  object  in  changing 
the  general  freight  office  to  Los  Angeles  was  to  encourage  the  - 
commerce  between  the  two  cities,  so  that  the  San  Diego  har- 
bor should  be  used  for  the  freighting  business  of  Los  Angeles. 

Of  course,  the  people  of  San  Diego  consented:  and.  equally 
of  course,  the  promises  whir-h  induced  them  to  do  so  were  dis- 
regarded by  the  great  corporation.  There  have  been  some 
feeble  efforts  to  compel  che  railroad  to  do  justice,  and  to  fulfil! 
the  agreement  by  me;  us  of  which  the  communities  about  the 
Bay   were   induced   to    present   a   I'ich   subsidy   to   the   frenzied 


408  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

financiei's  of  Boston.  These  efforts  came  to  nothing.  The  rail- 
road has  its  way,  promoting'  growth  where  it  favors  growth, 
compelling  stagnation  where  its  interest  will  be  served  by  that 
condition,  and  making  the  interests  of  communities  and  the 
happiness  of  men  conform  to  the  rules  of  the  game  its  masters 
are  playing  in  distant  fiiiancial  marts. 

Notwithstanding  these  untoward  conditions,  San  Diego  has 
grown  and  continues  to  grow,  and  the  coming  of  the  Santa  Fe 
exerted  a  large  influence  on  its  fortunes.  If  the  power  of  the 
railroad  had  been  exerted  on  the  side  of  the  city,  as  the  people 
had  a  right  to  suppose  it  would  be  when  they  subsidized  it  for 
twice  its  entire  cost,  this  history  would  have  been  different  in 
many  respects. 

The  articles  of  agreement  between  Frank  A.  Kimball  and  the 
Boston  syndicate  seem  well  worthy  of  preservation,  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  subsidy  was  paid  and  the  railroad  built — the 
only  instance  of  tlie  kind  resulting  from  the  many  similar  efforts 
in  the  histor^'  of  the  city,  from  1845  to  1907.  The  following  is 
the  full  text  of  the  instrument : 

ARTICLES  OF  AGREEMENT  made  this  twenty-third  day 
of  July  A.  D.,  1880,  by  and  between  Frank  A.  Kimball,  rep- 
resenting himself,  the  firm  of  Kimball  Brothers,  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  the  Board  of  City  Trustees,  and  prominent  citi- 
zens of  the  City  of  San  Diego  in  the  State  of  California, 
party  of  the  first  part  and  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Co.,  B.  P. 
Cheney,  George  B.  Wilbur,  Lucius  G.  Pratt,  and  Thomas  Nick- 
erson  all  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  party  of  the  second  part, 
witnesseth: 

That  whereas  the  party  of  the  first  part  desires  to  obtain 
railroad  connection  from  the  Bay  of  San  Diego  to  the  eastern 
part  of  the  United  States,  and  in  and  of  the  same,  is  able  and 
willing  to  donate  the  lands,  privileges  and  franchises  herein- 
after mentioned.  And  whereas  the  party  of  the  second  part  is 
willing   to   furnish    such    connection    and   receive   such    donation. 

Now  therefore,  in  consideration  of  the  premises  and  their 
respective  undertakings  hereinafter  set  forth,  and  of  one  dol- 
lar to  each  paid  by  the  other,  receipt  acknowledged,  said 
parties  mutually  agree  as  follows: 

Article  1. — The  party  of  the  first  part  will  convey  or  cause 
to  be  conveyed  by  good  and  sufficient  deeds  in  fee  simple,  free 
from  all  incumbrances  except  taxes  due  on  the  first  Monday 
in  January,  1881,  to  Henry  B.  Williams  of  San  Francisco, 
John  A.  Fairchild,  and  Warren  C.  Kimball,  both  of  said  San 
Diego  and  all  of  the  State  of  California,  trustees,  the  several 
parcels  of  land  and  the  several  privileges  and  franchises  herein- 
after set  forth,  namely: 

(a)  In  behalf  of  Kimball  Brothers;  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land  in  Rancho  de  la  Nacion  made  up  and  selected  as  fol- 
lows:— Fractional  quarter  sections  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
five   (175)   and  one  hundred  and  seventy-six   (17fi),  according  to 


THE  KIMBALL  CONTRACT 


409 


survey  and  patent  of  tlie  United  States  now  on  file  and  of 
record  in  the  county  of  San  Diego,  said  fractional  quarter  sec- 
tions giving  one  mile  front  upon  the  water  of  San  Diego  Bay, 
and  all  the  land  running  back  from  said  vi'ater  front  to  such 
a  distance  as  to  embrace  in  all  (exclusive  of  land  heretofore 
sold  which  does  not  exceed  twenty  acres)  two  hundred  acres, 
being  the  land  heretofore  bonded  to  a  representative  of  the 
Texas  Pacific  Eailroad  Company  together  with  such  additional 
quantity   of  land   south   of   National   City,   adjacent   thereto,   in 


WARREN   C.    KIMBALL 

Associated  with  his  brother,  Frank   A.   Kimball  in  his  successful  efforts   toward 

bringing  the  Santa  Fe  road  here,  and  in  the  founding  and 

building  of  National  City 


such  convenient  shape  as  shall  be  required  for  workhouses,  ma- 
chine shops,  warehouses,  wharves  and  other  appurtenances  of 
the  line  of  railroad  hereinafter  mentioned;  and  also  together 
with  all  the  riparian  rights  appertaining  to  the  lands  agreed 
to  be  conveyed  and  to  any  and  every  part  thereof. 

One  half  equitably  selected  of  all  the  unsold  portions  of 
National  City,  being  from  one  hundred  fifty  (150)  to  one  hun- 
dred seventy-five  (175)  blocks  of  two  and  one-half  acres  each 
measuring  through  the  centers  of  the  streets  as  laid  down  on 
the   plan    of   said   National    City. 


410  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Also  south  of  -Xatioiial  City,  quarter  sections  174,  17it  and 
160,  and  so  much  of  quarter  sections  173,  180  and  Kil  as  may 
be  necessary  in  the  judgment  of  the  engineers  of  the  part}'  of 
the  second  part,  to  control  the  channel  of  Sweetwater  River, 
and  then  selecting  alternate  half  miles  of  water  front,  meas- 
uring on  the  base  line,  said  Kimball  Brothers  making  the  tirst 
selection,  until  two  miles  of  w^ater  front  (as  near  as  may  be) 
have  been  taken  south  of  National  City  (making  about  three 
miles  of  water  front  in  all)  and  then  starting  from  said  water 
front  and  running  back,  selecting  tracts  alternate  (as  near  as 
may  be)  exclusive  of  those  parcels  already  conveyed  to  sun- 
dry persons,  until  the  full  complement  of  ten  thousand  acres, 
as  aforesaid,  has  been  completed.  Together  with  all  tide  lands 
and  riparian  rights  belonging  to  or  in  anywnse  appertaining 
thereunto   and   to   any   and   every   part   thereof. 

The  selections  above  referred  to  shall  be  made  by  mutual 
agreement  between  said  Frank  A.  Ivimball,  and  the  party  of 
the  second  part,  or  in  case  of  dis[)ute,  by  three  persons  chosen 
one  by  each  of  the  parties  hereto,  and  one  by  the  two  thus 
chosen,  and  the  decision  of  a  majority  of  them  shall  be  tinal. 

(b)  On  behalf  of  A.  Overbaugh,"  O.  8.  Witherby  and  L. 
C.  Gunn,  about  forty-tive  hundred  (4500)  acres  of  land  in  San 
Diego,  being  the  same  tract  conveyed  to  said  Overbaugh,  With- 
erby and  Gunn,  by  Charles  S.  Hamilton  by  deed  recorded  with 
San  Diego  deeds,  to  which  reference  is  had  for  more  particular 
description. 

(c)  About  three  hundred  scattered  blocks  and  lots  in  the 
cit}'  of  San  Diego  and  about  five  thousand  acres  of  land  in  and 
around  the  same,  all  of  which  now  stand  in  the  name  of  George 
B.  Wilbur,  as  shown  by  sundry  deeds  in  escrow  in  the  hands 
of  Bryant  Howard  and   E.   W.  Morse  of  San   Diego. 

(d)  The  party  of  the  first  part  also  agrees  to  contribute  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  be  used  for  the  purchase  of 
right-of-way  and  lands  for  depots,  shops,  water  and  other  sta- 
tions on  the  line  which  the  party  of  the  second  part  may  adopt 
for  the  proposed  railroad  and  for  the  general  purposes  of  said 
railroad. 

Article  2. — The  party  of  the  second  part  will  form  a  com- 
pany and  will  build  a  railroad  of  standard  guage,  four  feet 
eight  and  one-half  inches,  from  said  Bay  of  San  Diego  to  a  con- 
nection  with   the   Atlantic   and  Pacific   Railroad   in   California. 

And  the  party  of  the  second  part  or  the  company  to  be 
formed  as  aforesaid  shall  begin  work  at  the  earliest  practic- 
able moment,  and  shall  before  January  1,  1881,  construct 
twenty  miles  of  said  railway,  starting  from  San  Diego  Bay, 
or  shall  perform  an  amount  of  work  upon  said  proposed  line 
and  enter  into  contracts  for  said  line  in  good  faith,  equivalent 
to  the  building  of  said  twenty  miles  before  said  date;  said 
work  to  be  done  and  contracts  made  to  be  not  less  than  two- 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  in  amount;  and  shall  be- 
fore January  1,  1882,  construct  not  less  than  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  (116)  miles  of  said  railway  starting  from  said  Bay  of 
San  Diego,  and  shall  complete  said  connection  with  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  Railroad  as  soon  as  practicable  and  at  a 
date  not  later  than  the  first  day  of  January  A.  D.   1884.     Pro- 


THE  KIMBALL  CONTRACT  411 

vidcd,  however,  that  before  fonuiug  said  company  or  begin- 
ning said  work,  the  following  things  shall  be  done  and 
the  party   of   the   second  part   notified   thereof,   namely: 

First.  The  lands  and  appurtenances  from  said  Kimball 
Brothers  and  from  said  Overbaugh,  Witherby  and  Gunn  shall 
be  conveyed  as  aforesaid   to   said  trustees. 

Second.  The  grantors  in  the  several  deeds  to  George  B. 
AVilbur  now  in  escrow  with  said  Howard  and  Morse  shall  in 
writing  direct  the  said  Howard  and  Morse  and  the  said  How- 
ard and  Morse  shall  in  writing  agree  to  deliver  said  deeds 
to  said  Wilbur  on  or  before  January  1,  1881,  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  said  twenty  miles  or  its  equivalent  in  the  man- 
ner and  terms  aforesaid;  said  Wilbur  hereby  agreeing  to  quit- 
claim said  lands  to  said  party  of  the   second   part. 

Third.  The  sum  of  not  less  than  ten  thousand  dollars  in 
cash  or  its  equivalent,  shall  be  deposited  with  said  trustees 
to  be  paid  to  the  order  of  the  party  of  the  second  part  from 
time  to  time  for  the  purchase  of  right-of-way  and  lands  as 
aforesaid  and  for  the  general  purposes  of  said  railway;  and 
the  party  of  the  second  part  shall  be  notified  as  aforesaid 
on   or   before   September   1,   1880. 

Article  3.- — Said  trustees  shall  upon  the  demand  of  the  party 
of  the  second  part,  after  the  completion  of  said  twenty  miles 
or  its  equivalent,  as  aforesaid  convey  to  the  party  of  the  sec- 
ond part  or  said  company  one-half  of  all  the  lands  hereinbe- 
fore described  and  conveyed  to  them  as  aforesaid;  and  upon 
the  completion  of  said  one  hundred  and  sixteen  miles,  said 
trustees  shall  upon  the  demand  of  the  party  of  the  second 
part  convey  to  said  party  or  to  said  company  all  the  re- 
mainder of  said  lands  and  appurtenances,  free  and  discharged 
of  all  trusts. 

Article  4. — If  the  jiarty  of  the  second  part  or  said  company 
does  not  construct  at  least  twenty  miles  or  perform  an  equiva- 
lent amount  of  work,  coupled  with  the  purchase  of  materials 
as  aforesaid  before  January  1,  1881,  or  does  not  construct  one 
hundred  and  sixteen  miles  before  January  1,  1882,  unless  pre- 
vented by  unforeseen  causes  or  causes  wdiich  could  not  have 
been  prevented  by  the  use  of  ordinary  forethought,  or  unless  pre- 
vented by  perils  and  delays  of  navigation,  then  upon  due  proof 
thereof,  and  upon  demand  by  the  party  of  the  first  part,  or  the 
majority  of  the  persons  in  interest  represented  by  said  party, 
said  trustees  shall  thereafter  hold  all  said  lands  and  things 
not  theretofore  conveyed  by  them  under  the  terms  of  this 
agreement,  in  trust  for  the  equitable  benefit  of  the  original 
grantors,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  and  shall  distribute  and 
dispose  of  the  same  as  any  Court  of  competent  jurisdiction, 
upon  the  petition  of  any  person  interested  and  upon  full  hear- 
ing shall  direct.  Provided,  however,  that  any  default  may 
be  waived  by  the  party  of  the  first  part  or  by  a  majority  of 
the  persons  represented  by  said  party;  and  the  same  shall  be 
deemed  to  be  waived  if  the  party  of  the  first  part  or  the  major- 
ity of  the  persons  represented  by  the  party  of  the  first  part 
do  not  make  demand  as  aforesaid  within  sixty  days  after  the 
happening  of  any  default  as  aforesaid;  but  the  waiver  of  any 
default  shall  not  be  considered  the  waiver  of  any  default  sub- 


412  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

sequently  made.  And  provided  that  such  default  and  distribu- 
tion shall  not  release  the  party  of  the  second  part  from  the 
obligations  of  this  contract  or  from  any  lawful  claim  for 
damages  for  the   non-fulfillment   thereof. 

Article  5.  The  trustees  shall  not  be  liable  for  the  default 
or  misconduct  of  each  other,  nor  for  the  default  or  misconduct 
of  any  agent  or  attorney  selected  by  them  in  good  faith  in 
the    discharge   of   their   trust. 

And  the  Purchaser  at  any  sale  made  by  them  of  any  of  the 
lands  aforesaid  shall  not  be  liable  for  the  application  of  the 
purchase  money  and  shall  not  be  under  any  necessity  of  in- 
quiring into  the  expediency  or  legality  of  any  such  sale. 

Upon  the  death,  resignation,  or  incapacity,  or  refusal  to  act 
of  any  of  said  trustees,  the  remaining  trustee  or  trustees  may 
fill  such  vacancy  or  vacancies,  or  without  filling  the  same  shall 
act  with  the  same  power  as  the  original  trustees  could  have 
done  if  their  number   had   remained  undiminished. 

Upon  the  filling  of  any  vacancy  the  title  to  all  the  lands 
and  things  remaining  unconveycd  shall  vest  in  the  trustees 
thus  constituted  without  the  necessity  of  any  formal  convey- 
ance, but  each  trustee  shall  bind  himself,  his  heirs,  executors 
and  administrators  to  execute  such  deed  for  the  continuance 
of  the  trust  as  Counsel  learned  in  the  law  may  reasonably  ad- 
vise or  require;  and  the  original  conveyances  to  said  trustees 
shall  be  made  accordingly. 

In  witness  whereof  the  parties  aforesaid  have  hereunto  set 
their   hands    and    seals    the    day   and   year   first    above   written. 

Frank    A.    Kimball.  (Seal) 

Kidder,   Peabody  &  Co.     (Seal) 
B.  P.  Cheney.  (Seal) 

Geo.   B.   Wilbur.  (Seal) 

Lucius  G.  Pratt.  (Seal) 

Thos.    Nickerson.  (Seal) 

Eecorded  at  the  request  of  Frank  A.  Kimball,  October 
27,  1880,  at  3.5  min.  past  10  o  'clock  A.  M. 

Gilbert  Eennie, 

Countj'   Eecorder. 


CHAPTER  II 

PHENOMENA  OF  THE  GREAT  BOOM 

I  IKE    all    western    cities    of    consequence,    San 
Diego  has  experienced  a  series  of  booms  and 

Lj^YI  boomlets,  interspersed  by  periods  of  depres- 
iM  sion  and  temporary  decline;  but  when  "The 
bvvl  Great  Boom"  is  spoken  of  it  is  the  phenom- 
enal and  sensational  boom  of  1886-88,  Avhich 
is  referred  to.  This  was  epochal  and  serves 
to  divide  the  past  from  the  present,  just  as 
the  Civil  War  does  with  the  people  of  the  South.  As  Southern- 
ers refer  to  events  which  happened  "before  the  war,"  or  "after 
the  war,"  so  San  Diegans  speak  of  things  "before  the  boom," 
and  "after  the  boom." 

As  we  have  seen  in  previous  chapters,  many  things  conspired 
to  increase  the  growth  of  San  Diego  during  the  eighties.  The 
completion  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  system  was  doubtless  the 
largest  factor,  but  this  was  contemporaneous  with  the  develop- 
ment of  water  systems  and  other  public  utilities,  and  with  the 
inauguration  of  the  most  aggressive  enterprise  in  connection 
with  Coronado.  There  were  many  lesser  factors  working  to  the 
same  end,  and  it  would  have  been  strange  indeed  if  San  Diego 
real  estate  had  not  responded  to  these  influences.  Furthermore, 
there  were  national  and  even  world-wide  conditions  which  fos- 
tered the  movement.  This  decade  witnessed  an  enormous  expan- 
sion on  the  part  of  western  railways  and  was  marked  by  daring 
speculation  in  many  different  parts  of  the  globe. 

But  when  all  these  material  influences  have  been  mentiojied 
there  remains  another  which  was  far  more  powerful  and  which 
supplies  the  only  explanation  of  the  extraordinary  lengths  to 
which  the  boom  was  carried.  This  latter  influence  was  psycho- 
logical rather  than  material,  but  it  was  none  the  less  effective 
on  that  account.  The  people  were  hypnotized,  intoxicated, 
plunged  into  emotional  insanity  by  the  fact  that  they  had  unan- 
imously and  simultaneously  discovered  the  ineft'able  eharm  of 
the  San  Diego  climate.  Climate  was  not  all — there  was  the  bay, 
the  ocean,  the  rugged  shores,  the  mountains — but  the  irresistible 
attractions  M'ere  the  climate  and  the  joy  of  life  which  it  implied. 

If  someone  should  suddenly  discover  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
of  which  the  race  has  dreamed  these  thoiLsands  of  years,  and 


414  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

should  then  i)roceed  to  ott'er  corner  lots  at  the  intersection  of 
golden  streets,  there  would  naturally  be  a  rush  for  eligible  loca- 
tions, and  this  sudden  and  enormous  demand  would  create  a  tre- 
mendous boom.  It  happens  that  San  Diego  is  the  nearest  thing 
on  earth  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  so  far  as  climate  is  concerned. 
This  fact  was  suddenly  discovered  and  men  acted  accordingly. 
The  economy  of  heaven  is  a  factor  which  has  never  been  much 
dwelt  upon,  and  ecouoinic  considerations  were  sadly  neglected 
by  those  who  went  wild  over  real  estate  in  the  height  of  the 
boom.  It  was  forgotten,  for  the  moment,  that  men  cannot  eat 
climate,  nor  weave  it  into  cloth  to  cover  their  nakedness,  nor 
erect  it  as  a  shelter  against  the  storm  and  the  night.  Such  a 
reminder  would  have  seemed  puerile  at  the  time.  The  only  vital 
question  was :  Can  we  find  land  enough  between  Los  Angeles 
and  Mexico  to  accommodate  the  people  who  are  coming,  and  can 
we  get  it  platted  into  additions  fast  enough  to  meet  the  demand? 
If  this  question  could  be  answered  affirmatively,  it  was  enough. 
Obviously,  the  people  would  continue  to  come,  prices  would  con- 
tinue to  soar,  and  everybody  would  get  rich  at  the  expense  of 
his  neigh])or,  living  happy  forever  after. 

Now.  there  was  reason  in  this  logic,  if  it  had  only  been  tem- 
pered Avitli  common  sense.  It  is  absolutely  true  that  the  climate 
of  San  Diego  is  a  commodity  of  commercial  value.  Almost 
everybody  would  prefer  to  live  here  if  they  could  afford  the 
luxury.  The  mistake  was  in  failing  to  create  conditions  which 
would  ma  1x0  it  possible  for  them  to  do  so.  This  involved  the  pro- 
saic matter  of  making  a  livelihood  by  some  other  means  than 
exchanging  real  estate  every  few  days  at  a  profit.  That  process 
did  not  create  wealth,  but  only  exhausted  it.  What  San  Diego 
wanted  in  l)oom  days,  and  wants  now,  is  a  means  of  producing 
new  wealth  to  sustain  that  large  element  of  its  population  which 
is  not  yet  able  to  retire  upon  a  competency,  together  with  new 
population  of  the  same  kind  that  would  like  to  come. 

Prol)ably  no  one  could  draw  a  true  picture  of  the  boom  unless 
he  lived  through  those  .joyous  days  and  had  a  part  in  what  went 
on.  Fortunately.  San  Diego  possessed  a  citizen  peculiarly 
equipped  for  the  work  of  ol)serving  and  recording  the  phenom- 
ena of  the  times — a  man  who  could  see  both  the  strength  and 
the  weakness  of  the  situation,  who  united  shrewdness  with  a 
sense  of  humor,  and  was  also  gifted  as  a  writer.  This  citizen 
w'as  Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke,  author,  huntei",  engineer,  farmer, 
lawyer,  and  various  other  things.  Above  all  he  was — Theodore 
S.  Van  Dyke.  Speaking  of  the  class  of  people  who  came,  saw, 
and  bouiiht.  thereby  making  the  boom,  he  says: 

It    was    plnin    that    tliey    wero    in    fact    buying    comfort,    im- 
iminity    from    snow    ami    sliisli.    from    ]>iorcing   winds    ami    sleet- 


CAUSES  OF  THE  BOOM 


415 


clad  streets,  from  sultry  days  ami  sleepless  nights,  from  tliiiu- 
der-storiiis,  eyelones,  malaria,  moscjuitoes  and  bed-bugs.  All 
of  which,  in  plain  language,  means  that  they  were  buying  cli- 
mate, a  business  that  has  been  going  on  now  for  lifteen  years 
and  reached  a  stage  of  jirogress  wliich  the  world  has  never 
seen  before  and  of  which  no  wisdom  can  foresee  the  end.  The 
proportion  of  invalids  among  these  settlers  was  very  great, 
at  first;  but  the  numbers  of  those  in  no  sense  iinalids  but 
merely  sick  of  bad  weather,  determined  to  endure  no  more  of 
it,   and   able    to   pay   for   good   weather,   increased   so    fast    that 


THEODORE   S.    VAN    DYKE 

A  noted  author  who  did  much  to  make  the  advantages  of  San  Diego  known   to  the   world. 

His  book,  "Millionaires  of  a  Day,"  dealt  with  the  great  boom.     He  was  one  of  the 

originators  of  the  San  Diego  flume  enterprise 


by  1880  not  one  in   twenty  of  the  new  settlers  could  be  called 
an    invalid.      They    were    simply    rich    refugees. 

In  1880  the  rich  refugee  had  become  such  a  feature  in  the 
land  and  increasing  so  jfast  in  numbers  that  Los  Angeles  and 
San  Bernardino  counties  began  to  feel  a  decided  ''boom." 
From  1880  to  1885  Los  Angeles  City  grew  from  about  twelve 
thousand  to  thirty  thousand,  and  both  counties  more  than 
doubled  their  population.  But  all  this  time  San  Diego  was 
about  as  completely  fenced  out  by  a  system  of  misr<>presenta- 
tion  as  it  was  by  its  isolation  before   the  building  of   the   rail- 


416  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

road.  Much  of  this  misrepresentation  was  simply  well-mean- 
ing ignorance;  but  the  most  of  it  was  pure  straight  lying  so 
universal  from  the  editor  to  the  brakeman  on  the  cars  and  the 
bootblack  on  the  street  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  regularly  or- 
ganized plan.  So  thorough  was  its  effect  that  at  the  opening 
of  1885  San  Diego  had  scarcely  felt  any  of  the  great  pros- 
perity under   full    headway  only   a   few   hundred   miles   north. 

But  when  the  extension  of  the  railroad  to  Barstow  was  be- 
gun and  recognized  as  a  movement  of  the  Santa  Fe  railway 
system  to  make  its  terminus  on  San  Diego  Bay,  the  rich 
refugee  determined  to  come  down  and  sec  whether  a  great 
railroad  was  foolish  enough  to  cross  hundreds  of  miles  of 
desert  for  the  sake  of  making  a  terminus  in  another  desert. 
He  came  and  found  that  though  the  country  along  the  coast  in 
its  unirrigated  state  was  not  as  inviting  as  the  irrigated  lands 
of  Los  Augeles  and  San  Bernardino,  there  was  yet  plenty  of 
water  in  the  interior  that  could  be  brought  upon  it.  He  found 
there  was  plenty  of  "back  country"  as  rich  as  any  around  Los 
Angeles,  only  it  was  more  oiit  of  sight  behind  hills  and 
table-lands,  and  less  concentrated  than  in  the  two  counties 
above.  He  found  a  large  and  beautiful  bay  surrounded  by 
thousands  and  thousands  of  acres  of  fine  rich  slopes  and  table- 
lands abounding  in  the  most  picturesque  building  sites  on  earth. 
He  found  a  climate  made,  by  its  more  southern  latitude  and 
inward  sweep  of  the  coast,  far  superior  to  that  of  a  hundred 
miles  north,  and  far  better  adapted  to  the  lemon,  orauge,  and 
other  fine  fruits.  He  found  the  only  harbor  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  south  of  San  Francisco;  a  harbor  to  which  the  proud  Los 
Angeles  herself  would  soon  look  for  most  of  her  supplies  by 
sea;  one  which  shortens  by  several  hundred  miles  the  distance 
from  the  lands  of  the  setting  sun  to 'Kew  York;  a  harbor 
which  the  largest  merchant  vessels  can  e'liter  in  the  heaviest 
storm  and  lie  at  rest  without  dragging  ah  anchor  or  chafing 
paint  on  a  wharf. 

The  growth  of  San  Diego  now  began  in  earnest,  and  by  the 
end  of  1885  its  future  was  plainly  assured.  A  very  few  who 
predicted  a  poimlation  of  fifty  thousand  in  five  years  were 
looked  upon  as  wild,  even  by  those  who  believed  most  firmly 
in  its  future.  Even  those  who  best  knew  the  amount  of  land 
behind  it  and  the  great  water  resources  of  its  high  mountains 
in  the  interior  believed  that  twenty-five  thousand  in  five  years 
would  be  doing  well  enough.  Its  growth  since  that  time  has 
exceeded  fondest  hopes.  It  is  in  truth  a  surprise  to  all  and  no 
one  can  truthfully  pride  himself  upon  superior  sagacity,  how- 
ever well  founded  his  expectations  for  the  future  may  be.  At 
the  close  of  1885  it  had  probably  about  five  thousand  people. 
At  the  close  of  1887,  the  time  of  writing  this  sketch,  it  has 
fully  thirty  thousand  with  a  more  rapid  rate  of  increase  than 
ever.  New  stores,  hotels,  and  dwellings  are  arising  on  every 
hand  from  the  center  to  the  farthest  outskirts  in  more  be- 
wildering numbers  than  before,  and  i>eople  are  pouring  in  at 
double  the  rate  they  did  but  six  months  ago.  It  is  now  im- 
possible to  keep  track  of  its  progress.  No  one  seems  any 
longer   to   know   or  care   who   is   putting  up   the   big  buildings, 


W.  MIFFLIN   SMITH 

A  pioneer  of  San  Diego,  and  one  of  the 
oldest  members  of  the  Order  of  Elks  in  the 
United  States  :  also  one  of  the  original 
members  of  the  "Jollv  Corks." 


FRANK   S.  BANKS 

Past  Exalted  Ruler  of  San  Diego  Lodge 
B.  P.  O.  E.  168,  and  prime  mover  in  secur- 
ing the  erection  of  the  beautiful  Elks 
Building. 


REV.  DR     G.   H.  HARTUPEE 

For  fifty-one  yearsa  minister  and  educa- 
tor of  the  M.  E.  Church  in  connection  with 
the  North  Ohio  and  Southern  California 
conferences  and  for  eleven  years  a  resident 
of  San  Diego. 


GEORGE   N.   HITCHCOCK 

Native  of  Boston.  Prominent  in  educa- 
tional and  humane  work  in  San  Diego  for 
forty  years. 


J.  W.  WILLIAMS 

Junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Nason  and 
Company. 


CHARLES   H.  BARTHOLEMEW 
Postmaster  of  San  Diego. 


BISHOP  J.  EDMONDS 
Cashier  Peoples  State  Bank. 


E.  O.   HODGE 
Cashier  Southern  Trust  &  Savings  Bank. 


COMMENTS  OF  H.  G.  OTIS 


417 


and  it  is  bt'eoming  dinicult  1o  fitul  a  familiar  face  iu  the  crowd 
or  at   the  hotels. 

This  was  written  at  the  lieight  oi'  the  boom.  A  more  conserv- 
ative note  was  sounded  l)y  Mr.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  who  was 
here  in  May,  1886,  for  the  purpose  of  "writing  up"  Coronado 
Beach,  and  incidentally  expressed  some  opinions  upon  San 
Diego  and  its  new  boom : 

She   has  got  it   and  is  holding  on  to  it  with  the  tenacity  of 

death    and    the    tax    collector.      Values    are    "away    up"    and 

•  movements  in  real  estate  active.     I  hear  of  a  score  of  men  who 


HOTEL   DEL   CORONADO   DURING   CONSTRUCTION 

The  building  of  this  great  hostelry  and  the  accompanying-  development  of  Coronado  was  one 

of  the  important  events  of  boom  days 


have  made  their  "jnle"  within  a  twelvemonth,  and  I  know 
that  a  score  more  are  pursuing  the  eagle  on  Uncle  Sam's 
twenties  with  a  fierceness  of  energy  that  causes  the  bird  o' 
freedom  to  scream  a  wild  and  despairing  scream,  that  may 
be  heard  far  across  the  border  of  the  cactus  Republic.  This 
is  peculiarly  a  San  Diego  pursuit;  you  never  see  anything 
of  the  sort  iu  Los  Angeles,  where  the  populace  take  care  of 
the  noble  bird  and  encourage  him  to  increase  and  multiply 
greatly.  The  Angelenos  understand  the  nationaT  chicken  busi- 
ness,  you    see. 

The  boom  in  lots  and  blocks  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
the  business  center,  but  has  spread  far  up  the  sage-shrouded 
iills   where   the   view   is    magnificent,   but   water   scarce.      While 


418  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

there  are  not  lacking  evidenees  of  solidity  in  the  movement 
of  real  estate  in  the  more  central  portions  of  the  town,  I  can- 
not avoid  the  conviction  that  the  excessive  inflation  of  out- 
side lands  is  unhealtliy,  unsound,  and  destined  to  bring  dis- 
appointment to  the  inflaters,  if  I  may  coin  a  word.  "When  un- 
improved blocks  on  the  highlands,  far  from  the  center,  and 
even  from  the  outer  edges  of  business,  that  a  short  time  ago 
could  be  bought  for  $600,  have  been  boosted  in  price  to  as 
many  thousands  there  is  afforded  an  excellent  opportunity  for 
the  cautious  investor  to  stand  from  under,  lest  the  mushroom- 
like  structure  fall  down  and  "squash"  itself  right  before 
his  face. 

But  San  Diego  is  going  ahead,  and  is  bound  to  be  an  im- 
portant place  one  of  these  good  days.  She  is  partaking  of  the 
general  and  splendid  prosperity  of  the  wdiole  southern  coast, 
and  will  continue  to  prosper  according  to  her  deserts.  (No 
reference  to  sand.)  Only  it  is  regretful  to  see  men  who  have 
already  had  more  than  their  share  of  disappointment  and 
weary  waiting  for  the  "good  time  coming" — to  see  these  men, 
some  of  whom  still  live  here,  planting  financial  seed  that  can- 
not sprout  and  spring  until  another  long  decade.  What  I 
mean  specifically,  is  that  unproductive  outside  lands  at  fancy 
prices  are  not  a  safe  investment  in  San  Diego.  So,  at  least,  it 
seems  to  a  man  up  a  sagebrush. 

Mr.  Van  Dyke  wrote  a  Story  of  the  Boon),  in  January,  1889, 
in  which  he  said: 

The  great  boom  has  had  probably  no  sequel  on  earth.  Cities 
had  indeed  grown  faster  and  prices  had  advanced  more  rapid- 
ly than  here.  Greater  crowds  of  people  may  have  rushed  here 
and  there,  and  far  wilder  excitement  over  lots  and  lands  has 
been  seen  a  thousand  times.  But  the  California  boom  lasted 
nearly  three  years,  although  the  wild  part  of  it  lasted  only 
about  two  years.  It  covered  an  area  of  many  thousand  miles 
and  raged  in  both  town  and  country.  And  above  all  it  was 
started  and  kept  up  by  a  class  of  immigrants  such  as  has  never 
before  been  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world,  immigrants  in  pal- 
ace cars  with  heavy  drafts  or  certified  checks  in  their  pockets, 
a  fat  balance  in  bank  behind  them,  and  plenty  of  property 
left  to  convert  into  cash.  Nearly  $100,000,000  were  by  this 
class  invested  in  Southern  California,  and  the  permanent  in- 
crease of  population  has  been  nearly  200,000  in  the  last  four 
years. 

Some  of  the  facts:  First:  There  is  scarcely  an  instance  of 
anyone  building  for  his  own  use  a  house  costing  $.'5000  nr 
more  in  which  the  owner  is  not  living  today,  or  if  he  has  sold 
it  is  living  in  another  one.  In  other  words,  the  people  of 
means  who  settled  here  are  almost  to  a   man  here  today. 

Second:  That  whenever  a  man,  whether  rich  or  poor,  has 
bought  a  piece  of  land  and  settled  down  to  make  it  produce 
sometliing,  he  is  there  today  contented  and  doing  well.  Tn 
some  jilaces  too  many  good  houses  have  been  built  for  sale 
only — a  foolish  thing  generally,  because  the  man  who  wants  to 
pay    over   $2000    for   a   house    usually    wants    to    follow   his    own 


THE  PROFESSIONAL  BOOMER  419 

tastes  about  it — its  style  and  location.  The  good  houses  that 
stand  empty  after  being  once  occupied  by  the  owner,  you 
may  almost  count  on  your  fingers,  while  a  piece  of  land  aban- 
doned after  occupancy  it  is  next   to  ini[)0ssiblc  to   find. 

Third:  That  the  country  outside  the  cities  and  towns  is 
settling  today  faster  than  throe  years  ago,  and  that  even  the 
towns  are  growing,  the  floating  population  being  steadily  re- 
placed by  a  permanent  one.  The  new  register,  the  school 
enrollment  and  average  attendance  list,  the  postoflice  receipts, 
and  all  other  means  of  comparison  show  a  larger  population 
today  in  every  city  of  Southern  California  than  there  was  a 
vear  ago,  when  every  building  was  overflow-ing  with  strangers. 
The  true  "boom"  period  extends  from  the  summer  of  1886 
to  about  February,  1888 — about  eighteen  months  in  all — and 
this  w^as  precipitated  by  the  repetition  of  what  in  ISSo  had 
surprised  everyone — the  increase  of  travel  in  summer,  instead 
of  its  diminution,  as  has  always  been  the  case.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1886  people  came  faster  than  ever,  and  it  became  very 
natural  to  ask  where  is  all  this  going  to  end?  Nearly  every 
one  of  them  bought  something,  nearly  one-half  of  them  be- 
came immediate  settlers,  and  the  majority  of  the  remainder 
declared  their  intention  of  returning  in  the  winter  to  build 
and  remain.  Such  a  state  of  affairs  would  have  turned  the 
heads  of  almost  any  people,  but  still  the  Californians  kept 
quite  cool.  It  required  the  professional  boomer  to  touch  off 
the    magazine. 

In  the  summer  of  1886  the  professional  boomer  came.  The 
business  of  this  class  is  to  follow  up  all  lines  of  rapid  set- 
tlement, chop  up  good  farming  land  into  towm  lots  25  or  30  years 
ahead  of  the  time  they  are  needed,  and  sell  off  in  the  excite- 
ment enough  to  pay  for  the  land  and  have  a  handsome  profit 
left  over.  The  boomer  came  from  Kansas  City,  Wichita,  Chi- 
cago, Minnesota,  New  York,  Seattle  and  everywhere,  and  with 
the  aid  of  a  brass  band  and  free  lunch  (which  had  a  marvel- 
ous influence  on  the  human  pocket)  he  began  his  work.  Most 
of  them  were  in  Los  Angeles  county,  but  a  few-  found  their 
w^ay  to  San  Diego,  enough  to  leaven  the  whole  lump.  By  the 
Californians  generally  the  boomer  was  pronounced  a  fool,  and 
his  25-foot  lots,  brass  band,  free  lunch,  clown  exhibitions,  etc., 
laughed  at.     But  it  soon  became  the  boomer's  turn   to  laugh. 

A  boom  is  a  boom  the  w'orld  over,  he  said.  In  such  times 
a  lot  is  a  lot.  You  can  sell  a  25-foot  lot  for  $100  a  great  deal 
more  easily  than  you  can  sell  a  50-foot  lot  for  $150.  When 
the  world  gets  a  crazy  fit,  w^ork  it  while  it  lasts  for  all  there 
is   in    it. 

His  reasoning  quickly  proved  itself  correct.  He  captured 
the  tourist  and  the  tenderfoot  by  the  thousand,  took  in  scores 
of  old  eonservativeX capitalists  from  the  East,  who  could  talk 
as  sensibly  as  anyone  about  "intrinsic  value"  and  "busi- 
ness basis,"  etc.,  but  who  lost  their  heads  as  surely  as  they 
listened  to  the  dulcet  strains  of  the  brass  band  and  the  silver 
tongue  of  the  auctioneer.  Eich  old  bankers,  successful  stock 
and  grain  operators,  and  smart  folks  of  all  kinds,  who  thought 
that  they  were  the  shrewdest  of  the  shrewd,  fell  easy  victims 
to    the    arts    of    the   boomer.      Few   things    were    more    amusing 


^f=T*^ 


PIERCE- MORSE   BLOCK 

This  was  the  most  notable  structure  of  boom  days,  and  at  the  time  of  its  erection  it  wasgen~ 
erally  thought  that  it  had  fixed  the  business  center  of  the  city  at  Sixth  and  F 
Streets.    Its  architecture  is  typical  of  its  period  and  differs  much 
from   present  standards 


MAD  SPECULATION  421 

than  to  see  the  price  of  a  lot  doubled  and  quadrupled  upon 
these  wise  old  chaps  by  a  few  cappers  acting  in  well-trained 
concert  with  the  auctioneer.  The  most  of  the  old  boys  thus 
taken  in  were  exactly  of  the  same  class  as  those  that  have 
been  lying  around  San  Diego  anxious  to  buy  something,  but 
afraid  to  examine  it.  Then  they  were  fighting  for  a  chance 
to  pay  $2.00  apiece  for  brass  dollars.  Now  when  offered  a  sack 
of  gold  dollars  for  50  cents  apiece,  they  dare  not  open  the 
sack  to  look  at  them. 

The  natives  could  not  look  on  such  scenes  as  these  without 
being  infected,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  became  en- 
tangled in  the  whirl.  They  not  only  laid  out  additions  and 
townsites,  but  bouglit  lots  of  others;  not  with  any  expecta- 
tion of  using  them,  but  with  the  same  idea  that  all  the  others 
had — to  turn  them  over  to  someone  else  in  sixty  days  at 
an  advance  of  at  least  double  or  triple  the  amount  of  the 
lirst   payment. 

A  necessary  result  of  the  folly  was  to  raise  the  price  of 
good  business  property  beyond  what  business  could  afford  to 
pay.  Farming  property,  in  too  many  instances,  was  raised 
too  high  in  price,  though  nothing  in  comparison  with  city 
property. 

It  would  be  idle  to  recount  the  many  fools  that  met  the  in- 
credible prices  offered  and  refused,  the  monstrous  prices  paid 
by  the  lot  for  land  that  was  worth  only  $.50  or  $100  per  acre, 
and  could  not  in  any  event  be  worth  more  than  $100  a  lot  in 
ten  years.  The  enormous  supply  was  forgotten,  and  folks 
acted  as  if  there  were  but  a  few  hundred  lots  left  iipon  this 
favored  corner  of  creation,  toward  which  all  were  so  eagerly 
rushing.  The  fact  was,  that  if  every  train  for  the  next  ten 
years  were  loaded  down  with  actual  settlers,  not  more  than 
half  the  lots  laid  out  could  be  settled. 

So  it  went  on  for  18  months  with  prices  constantly  rising; 
people  coming  faster  than  ever,  and  acting  more  crazy  than 
ever.  Tt  soon  became  quite  unnecessary  to  show  property.  It 
was  greedily  bought  from  the  map  in  town  by  people  with  no 
idea  of  even  the  points  of  the  compass.  .  .  .  Most  of  the 
speculators  had  no  need  to  resort  to  the  banks.  Coin  was 
abundant  everywhere.  A  man  offering  to  loan  money  on  mort- 
gage would  have  been  laughed  at  as  a  fool.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  too  many  people  bought  diamonds  and  squandered  the 
money  in  various  forms  of  extravagance,  instead  of  paying  up 
and  keeping  even  as  they  went  along.  But  thousands  more 
kept  out  of  debt,  and  though  disposed  to  take  a  hand  in  the 
game,   played   it   cautiously. 

The  hammer  and  saw  rang  all  day  long  on  every  hand 
and  improvements  of  every  kind  went  on  rapidlj^  nnder  the 
influence  of  abundance  of  mone^v.  The  worst  feature  of  this, 
however,  was  that  in  Los  Angeles,  and  especially  in  San  Diego 
county,  little  of  it  went  into  true  development  of  resources. 
In  San  Bernardino  county,  most  of  it  went  into  new  water- 
works and  other  things  to  develop  productive  power.  But  in 
other  connties,  especially  our  county,  conveniences  for  tour- 
ists and  people  yet  to  come  absorbed  the  most  of  it.  .  . 
A   very   few   aided   such   things,   but   fully   ninety   per   cent,    nf 


422 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


San  Diego  thought  tluit  bay  and  cliniato  ahmc  would  build  a 
great  city,  and  many  declared  upon  tlie  street  that  they 
"didn't  care  if  you  c-ould  not  raise  a  bean  within  forty  miles  of 
San  Diego."  The  lieantiful  and  fertile  country  back  of  it 
was  of  no  moment  whatever,  and  a  railroad  into  it,  such  as 
is  now  bnilding,  wasn  "t  worth  talking  of  for  an  instant.  The 
great  flume  went  aheail.  notwithstanding,  and  the  eouutrv 
settled  up  without  their  knowing  it.  The  necessity  for  a  rail- 
road to  Warner's  Rancli,  at  least,  became  so  apparent  that 
Governor  Watirman  and  a  few  others  got  it  started.  Once 
started,  its   extension   to   the   East  would  folh)w  as  a   matter  of 


tJ.r.:.Jj    -J  J    Li   il  i]. 


HORTON   BUILDING,    FACING   PLAZA   AT   THIRD   AND   D 

Erected  in  1872  and  designed  to  house  the  offices  of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Raih-oad, 
which  never  occupied  it.    It  served  for  many  years  as  City  Hall  and  was 
purchased  in  October,  1901,  by  John  D.   Spreckels,   who  used   it  as 
the  office  of  the  Union,  and  later,  of  the  Tribune.     Demol- 
ished in  1906  to  make  room  for  the  Union  Building 


course.  The  great  majority  of  San  Diego  people  had  never 
been  two  miles  east  of  town  and  didn  't  know  that  they  had 
any  back  country  and  didn't  care,  thinking  bay  and  climate 
all    sufficient. 


Of  the  literature  of  the  1)ooin,  it  woiihl  be  einl)arrassing  to 
even  attempt  to  describe  it  in  all  its  richness  and  variety.  The 
best  writers  in  the  land  were  brought  to  San  Diego  and  gave 
their  talents  to  the  service  of  the  real  estate  dealers.  One  of 
the  ablest  of  these  writers  was  Thomas  L.  Fitch,  known  as  "the 
silver-tongued  orator."  Mr.  Fitch  easily  outdid  and  outdis- 
tanced his  fellow  scribes  in  the  glowing-  fervor  of  his  panegyrics 
upon  bay  and  climate.  To  this  day,  the  old  San  Diegans  break 
into  sunny  smiles  when  yon  speak  of  Fitch  and  his  l)oom  liter- 


FITCH'S  FAMOUS  "SPECIALS" 


423 


atui'c.  lid  us  take  a  siiiulc  sample,  ami  allow  the  reader  to  judge 
for  himself.  This  was  an  advertisement  written  for  the  firm  of 
Howard  eV:  ijvons.  and  was  No.  12  (there  were  many  more)  : 

8|)('cial   No.    12. 

We    knew    it    would   iniu,    I'or   :ill    day    long 

A  spirit  with  slender  ropes  of  mist, 
Was    dipping    the    silvery   buckets    down 

Into    the    vapory    amethyst. 

We  also  knew  it,  because  the  wound  which  our  uiude  re- 
ceived in  his  back  at  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  (he  was  in 
Canada  when  flip  second  battle  of  Bull  Run  was  fought), 
throbbed  all  day  Saturday.  Now,  if  Saturday  night's  and 
Sunday  night's  rain  shall  ])e  followed  by  one  or  more  show- 
ers of  equal   volume,  we  will   see   our  blear   mesas  covered  with 


STORE    AT   FIFTH   AND   F   STREETS 

Occupied  by  George  W.  Marston  for  many  years  prior  to  October,  1906,  when  he 
moved  to  the  present  building  at  Fifth  and  C  Streets 


the  vernal  and  succulent  altileria  and  all  the  streams  will  be 
running   bank-full.      Then   there    will   be — 

Sweet  fields  arrayed   in  living  green 
And    rivers   of    delight. 

Then  the  slopes  of  the  arroyos  will  be  flecked  with  the  pur- 
ple violets  and  pink  anemones  and  white  star  flowers,  and 
over  all  the  wind-blown  heights  the  scarlet  poppies  and  the 
big  yellow  buttercups  will  wave  in  the  breeze  like  the  plumes 
and  banners  of  an  elfin  army.  And  when  you  behold  the  earth 
covered  with  fragrant  children,  born  of  her  marriage  to  the 
clouds,  and  when  you  know  that  this  charming  eff'ect  of  a  few 
showers  can  be  increased  and  perpetuated  the  year  round  with 
a  little  water   from   the   mains  and   a  little   labor   with    hoe  and 


424  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

rake,  you  -niJl  be  tliaukful  to  us  for  having  called  your  atten- 
tion in   time   to   the  Middletown  Heights'  lots. 

A  XOX-EESIDENT  who  invested  during  the  Tom  Heott  boom, 
and  who  has  failed  to  sell  since,  for  the  same  reason  that  in- 
duced the  teamster  not  to  jump  off  the  wagon  tongue,  astricle 
which  he  fell  when  the  runaway  horses  started — because  it  was 
all  he  could  do  to  hold  on — a  non-resident  has  sent  us  the  title 
deeds  for  several  blocks  of  the  Middletown  Heights'  lots,  with 
directions  to  close  them  out.  Our  motto  is:  Obey  orders  if  you 
break  owners,  and  the  lots  are  therefore  for  sale  at  one- 
fourth    their    present    and    one-twentieth    their   future    value. 

Call  at  our  office,  and  our  assistant  will  take  you  in  the  bug- 
gy and  show  you  these  lots.  Two  blocks  of  them  are  situated 
not  more  than  three  hundreds  yards  from  the  track  of  the 
California  Southern  Eailroad  Company,  and  a  hundred  yards 
further  from  the  shore  of  the  bay,  and  within  a  mile  of  the 
passenger  dejjot.  These  blocks  front  India  avenue  and  are 
in  the  slope  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  just  high  enough  to  give 
you  a  good  view  of  the  bay  and  the  sea.  The  Electric  Motor 
Eoad  will  go  up  India  avenue,  and  will  pass  in  front  of  these 
lots.  They  will  be  worth  .$1000  each  within  a  year.  You  can 
buy  them  this  week  for  $12.5  each.  It  is  a  great  chance — don't 
lose   it. 

Marcellus — "Who    comes    here? 
Horatio — Friends   to    this   gi'ound. 

What  matters  it,  dear  friends,  who  it  is  that  writes  these 
Specials.  Howard  says  it  is  Lyons,  and  Lyons  says  danifino. 
"Whichever  of  the  firm  it  is,  or  w^hoever  else  it  may  be,  the 
writer  is  doing  a  good  work  for  San  Diego,  for  these  Specials 
are  Ijeing  copied  in  the  Eastern  press  and  are  possibly  induc- 
'  ing  both  people  and  capital  to  come  here.  We  append  here 
a  copy  of  a  specimen  letter  received  by  us  yesterday  from  a 
flourishing  Xew  England  city: 

" Jan.    26,   1887. 

Messrs.  Howard  &  Lyons,  Gentlemen:  I  am  well  acquainted 
with  the  wonderful  growth  of  your  beautiful  section  of  coun- 
try, receiving  as  I  do  papers,  pamphlets  and  letters  from  wdde- 
ly  se^tarated  portions.  In  the  San  Diego  Union  I  read  your 
Specials  concerning  Oceanside  and  San  Diego.  I  enclose 
check  for  $100,  which  please  invest  for  me  to  the  best  of  your 
judgment  in  a  lot,  as  I  have  full  faith  that  you  will  make 
good  use  of  the  monev.  Please  give  me  a  location  with  good 
view  of   the   ocean.     Very   trul}-. 


We  sliall  reward  this  gentleman 's  confidence  and  good 
judgment  by  sending  him  a  deed  for  a  lot  that  will  grow 
rapidly    in    value    before    next    Christmas. 

Our  efforts,  at  considerable  labor  and  some  cash,  to  direct 
the  attention  of  immigrants  and  investors  this  way,  must  ben- 
efit all  San  Dicgans — even  the  other  real  estate  men.  Wliere- 
fore,  beloved,  begrudge  not  the  writer  of  these  Specials  his  in- 
cognito, nor  seek  to  strip  his  mask  from  him  lest  you  force 
him  to  seek  security  from  curiosity  in  silence.  Don't  quote 
scraps  from  these  writings  to  the  individual  you  suspect  of 
being  their  author,  and   tlu  n   wink   at  him.     If  the  song  of  the 


ADVERTISING  THE  VIEW 


425 


niglitiugalo  please  you,  listen,  and  don't  throw  stones  into 
the  canebrake  in  order  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  beak  of  the 
singer.  If  the  dish  is  palatable,  eat,  and  be  content  not  to 
know    the    complexion    and   genealogy   of   the    cook. 

Still,  if  you  must  know  wlio  wo  really  are,  we  will  tell  you 
in  strict  confidence,  only  don't  give  it  away.  We  are  author 
of  the  Bread  Winners  and  The  Beautiful  Snow.  We  composed 
the  music  of  the  great  grasshopper  song,  There's  Wheat  By 
and  By,  and  the  hieroglyphs  of  our  being,  "S.  T.  1860,  X,"  are 
painted  in  white  and  black  letters  on  the  suuimits  of  the 
eternal  hills. 

We  came  to  this  earthly  Paradise  for  our  health;  we  con- 
cluded to  go  into  the  real  estate  business,  and  then  we  deter- 
mined   to   lift   advertising   out   of  its    dull   grooves   and   start   it 


COUNTY   COURT   HOUSE   AS   IT   ORIGINALLY  APPEARED 


in  new  directions.  In  the  latter  determination  we  have  suc- 
ceeded, for  people  read  these  Specials  who  usually  ski|)  the 
advertisements,  and  some  have  been  known  to  peruse  them  wiio 
do    not    always   read   all    the   editorials. 

If  you  would  know  more,  come  with  \is  at  nightfall  u]ion 
the  summit  of  yonder  hill.  The  way  is  not  long,  though  for 
a  few  dozen  rods  it  is  a  little  steep.  Here  we  will  halt.  Here 
upon  block  42,  Middletown  Addition,  we  are  surrounded  by 
a  grander  view^  than  can  be  seen  anywhere  else,  even  in  this 
favored  land.  Loma  to  our  riglit,  wnth  brow  of  purple  and  feet 
of  foam  outlined  against  a  sky  of  crimson.  Far  down  the 
southern  horizon  towers  Table  mountain,  outlined  against  the 
gathering  dusk.  The  electric  lights  glint  across  the  bay  to 
sleeping  Coronado,  and  San  Dirgo  l)uzzes  and  hums  at  our  feet. 
Would  yoii  know  our  secret?  Gold  alone  will  cause  its  reveal- 
ment.  Buy  these  four  lots  on  one  of  wiiicli  we  stand,  pay 
us    five    hundred    dollars    in     mmiev    for    them — it    will    be    an 


426 


HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 


enchanting  site    for    a    home,    and    an    investment    which    will 

return   you  thousands.      We    are — lend   your   ear — we   are   either 

Howard  or  Lyons.     You   pays  your  money  and  you  takes  your 
choice. 

AValter  Giffurd  Smith,  in  his  Shni/  <>f  Sait  Diego,  draws  the 
foHowiiig  picture  of  the  boom  at  its  height : 

San    Diego's    growth    was    a    phenomenon.      The    newly-built 
houses   following  the   curvts  of   the   bay   in   their  onward  march 


STEAMER   SANTA   ROSA 

Which  plied  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego  for  eighteen  years,  beginning-   in  boom 

days  and  ending  in  July,  1907,  and  made  a  total  of  910  trips  between 

the  two  great  seaports  of  California 


of  construction.  occuj)ied  four  linear  miles  and  spread  a  mile 
from  shore,  covering  the  lower  levels  and  climbing  the  barren 
hills.  The  business  district  traversed  three  miles  of  streets, 
and  the  ])opulation,  at  tlie  rlose  of  1887,  numbered  35,000. 
At  one  time  50,000  people,  from  every  State  and  Territory  of 
the  Union  and  from  many  foreign  lands,  were  in  the  bay  coun- 
try, trying  to  get  rich  in  a  week. 

Land     advanced    daily    in    selling    })rice,    and    fortunes    were 
made    on    margins.      A    $5000    sale    was    quickly    followed    by    a 


PRICES  "OUT  OF  SIGHT" 


427 


$10,000  transfer  of  the  same  property,  and  in  three  months 
a  price  of  $50,000  was  reached.  Excitement  became  a  kind  of 
lunacy,  and  business  men  persuaded  themselves  that  San  Diego 
would  soon  cover  an  area  which,  soberly  measured,  was  seen 
to  be  larger  than  that  of  London.  Business  property  that  had 
been  selling  by  the  lot  at  $500,  passed  through  the  market  at 
from  $1000  to  $2500  per  front  foot.  Small  corners,  on  the 
rim  of  the  commercial  center,  sold  for  $40,000,  and  for  the 
choicest  holdings  the  price  was  prohibitive.  Rents  corres- 
pondingly swelled.  An  Italian  fruit  vender,  who  used  a  few 
feet    of    space    on    the    walk    beside    a    corner    store,    paid    $150 


CAPTAIN    E.    ALEXANDER 
Who'commanded  the  Santa  Rosa  in  her  long:  service  between  San  Francisco  and  San  Diego 


per  month  for  the  privilege.  The  store  itself,  25  by  50  in  size, 
rented  for  $400  per  month.  A  small  cottage,  s]uibl)ily  built, 
with  "cloth  and  paper"  partitions,  was  competed  for  in  the 
market  at  $60  per  month.  So  general  was  the  demand  for 
homes  and  business  cjuarters  that  the  ajtpearance  of  a  load  of 
lumber  on  vacant  ground  drew  a  knot  of  people  who  wanted 
to  lease  the  structure  in  advance.  Then  the  lessees  camped 
out  near  by,  waiting  a   chance  to  move   in. 

Labor    shared    the    common    prosperity.      A    dirt-shoveler    got 
from    $2    to    $.3    per    day,    according    to    the    demaml.      The    per 


428  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

diem  of  car]ieiiters  and  brickdayers  was  $5  and  $6.  Compos- 
itors ou  the  morning  press  earned  from  $50  to  $60  per  week. 
A  barber  asked  25  cents  for  a  shave  and  40  cents  for  a  bath. 
Liverymen  demanded  $2.50  per  hour  for  the  use  of  a  horse  and 
buggy.  The  time  of  real  estate  agents  was  measured  by  dol- 
lars instead  of  minutes.  In  the  common  phrase  of  the  Ri- 
alto.  ''everything  went/'  and  he  who  had  aught  to  sell, 
whether  of  labor,  commodity,  skill,  or  time,  could  dispose 
of  it  for  cash  at  thrice  its  value. 

Naturally  a  pojiulatiou  drawn  togt^ther  from  the  adven- 
turous classes  of  the  world,  indiued  as  it  was  with  excite- 
ment and  far  from  ccunentional  trammels,  contained  and  de- 
veloiK'd  a  store  of  profligacy  and  vice,  much  of  which  found 
its  way  into  official,  business,  and  social  life.  Clambling  was 
open  and  flagrant;  games  of  chance  were  carried  ou  at  the 
curb-stones;  jiainted  women  paraded  the  town  in  carriages  and 
sent  out  engraved  cards  summoning  men  to  their  receptions 
and  "high  teas;''  the  desecration  of  Sunday  was  complete, 
with  all  drinking  and  gambling  houses  open,  and  with  pic- 
nics, excursions,  fiestas  and  bullfights,  the  latter  at  the  Mexi- 
can line,  to  attract  men,  women,  and  l)oys  from  religious  in- 
fluence. Theft,  murder,  incen.diarism,  carousals,  fights,  high- 
way robbery,  and  licentiousness  gave  to  the  passing  show  in 
boomtide  San  Diego  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  fron- 
tier camp.  Society  retired  to  cover  before  the  invasion  of 
questionable  people,  and  what  came  to  be  known  as  "society" 
in  the  newspapers,  was,  with  honorable  exceptions  here  and 
there,  a  spectacle  of  vulgar  display  and  the  ai'rogant  parade  of 
reputations  which,  in  Eastern  States,  had  secured  for  their 
owners  the  opportunity  and  the  need  of  "going  West." 

Speculation  in  city  lots,  Avhicli  soon  went  })eyond  the  scope 
of  moderate  resources  in  money  and  skill,  found  avenues  to 
the  country;  and  for  twenty  miles  about  the  town  the  mesas 
and  valleys  were  checkered  with  this  or  that  man's  "Addition 
to  San  Diego."  Numberless  new  townsites  were  nearly  in- 
accessiljle;  one  was  at  the  bottom  of  a  river;  two  extended 
into  the  bay.  Some  of  the  best  had  graded  streets  and  young 
trees.  All  were  sustained  in  the  market  by  the  promise  of 
future  hotels,  sanitariums,  operahouses,  soldiers'  homes,  or  motor 
•  lines  to  be  built  at  specified  dates.  Few  people  visited  these 
additions  to  see  what  they  were  asked  to  invest  in,  but  under 
the  stimulus  of  band  music  and  a  free  lunch,  they  bought  from 
the  auctioneer's  map  and  made  large  jwyments  down.  In  this 
way  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  were  thrown  away 
upon  alkali  wastes,  cobble-stone  tracts,  sand  overflowed  lands 
and  cactus,  the  poorest  land  being  usually  ]>ut  down  on  the 
townsite  market. 

It  slionld  l)e  added  that  the  Chaiiiher  of  Commeree  exerted 
itself  to  expose  and  defeat  these  fraitdulent  schemes,  generally 
with  snecess.  ]\Iost  of  the  frauds  were  hatched  in  places  other 
than  San  Diego. 

Those  who  participated  in  these  events  and  still  live  here,  look 
hack  ii])oii  them  with  varying  emotions.     To  some  the  memory 


CRITTENDEN'S  ENTHUSIASM 


429 


is  painful.  "The  boom,"  says  one;  "well,  that  was  the  strang- 
est thing  you  can  imagine.  There  seems  no  way  to  account  for 
it  now,  except  as  a  sort  of  insanity.  All  you  had  to  do  was  to 
put  up  some  kind  of  a  scheme  and  the  peo[)le  who  came  here 
would  put  their  money  into  it  by  the  barrel."  Another  tells 
with  glee  of  a  sea-captain  whom  he  drove  about  the  city  on  his 
first  visit,  about  the  year  1875;  and  after  seeing  it  all,  said: 
"A  very  pretty  little  town,  and  the  houses,  they  look  just  like 


ROBERT   W.    WATERMAN 

Bought  Stonewall  mine  1886  and  developed   it   on   largre   scale.     In   1888  with  others,  began 

construction  of  San  Diego,  Cuyamaca  &  Eastern  Railway,  and  shortly  afterward 

purchased  same.     Came  here  to  locate,  December,  1890,  immediately 

after  retiring  from  Governor's  chair,  and  died  April  12,  1891 


toy  houses!"  "Near  the  same  time."  says  Captain  J.  II.  Simp- 
son, "General  Crittenden,  who  had  been  instrumental  in  get- 
ting a  one-inch  plank  sidewalk  laid  on  the  east  side  of  Fourth 
Street  to  the  Florence  Hotel,  then  recently  built,  stopped  ]\Ir. 
Edwin  Goodall.  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company,  on 
this  notable  walk,  one  day,  and  said  to  him:  'This  is  going  to 
be  a  great  city.  We  are  going  to  have  electric  street  railwa3^s, 
motor  roads  to  National  City  and  Pacific  Beach,  a  ferry  across 


430 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


the  bay,  a  big  hotel  on  the  peninsula,  and  many  other  things.' 
And  then,  pointing  Avith  pride  to  the  sidewalk,  he  exclaimed: 
'And  we  have  this  sidewalk!'  " 

It  must  be  admitted,  says  Captain  Simpson,  tliat  the  boom 
was  not  an  unmixed  blessing.  Evil  as  well  as  good  resulted, 
and  too  many  remember  it  with  sorrow  and  anguish;  yet  the 
net  gain  to  the  city  can  scarcely  be  realized.  I  think  it  is 
twenty  years  in  advance  of  what  it  would  have  been  without 
it.  .  .  .  The  progress  made  in  these  two  years  (1886-SS) 
was  wonderful.  The  two  great  water  systems  were  started 
and  the  bonds  for  the  sewer  system  voted.  Streets  were 
graded  aud  miles  of  sidewalks  laid,  wharf  facilities  increased, 
work    commenced    aud    nearly    two    million    dollars    worth    of 


-■Ki^w^^.. 


VIEW   OF   THE   CITY   FROM    EIGHTH   AND   A   STREETS   IN   1888 


property  sold  on  Coronado  Beach  aud  the  great  hotel  planned, 
motor  roads  built,  streets  graded,  and  substantial  improve- 
ments started  in  every  direction. 

AVithin  this  time,  too,  the  city  schools  were  systematized  and 
several  good  schoolhonses  l)nilt.  The  fire  department  grew  in 
size  and  efficienc^y.  And  in  brief  the  foundations  of  the  pres- 
ent city  were  laid  broad  and  deep. 

One  steamer  in  October,  1885,  brought  80  new  residents.  Up 
to  August,  306  buildings  were  completed  in  Horton's  Addition 
in  1886,  and  the  following  month  200  new  houses  in  course  of 
construction  in  the  citv  were  counted.     During  this  vear  there 


STATISTICS  OF  BOOM  DAYS 


431 


;iri'iv('(l  26,281,  and  departed  13,938  pco])!*',  net  i^aiii  in  popu- 
lation 12,343.  The  total  cost  of  the  l)uildings  constructed  in 
the  3'ear  was  i|>2,()0(),000.  The  aggregate  of  real  estate  transac- 
tions was  over  $7,000,000.  In  the  first  six  months  of  1887,  the 
Innibcr  imported  by  sea  measured  14,780,000  feet.  In  August, 
1887,  the  transfers  of  property  in  Horton's  Addition  for  one 
week  amounted  to  $223,513,  and  for  the  other  additions,  $53, 73."). 
The  week  prior,  the  total  transfers  anKMinted  to  $500,951.  In 
1886  the  number  of  business  firms,  i)rofessional  men,  etc.,  was 


FIRST   BAND   IN   SAN   DIEGO,    ORGANIZED   IN    1878 


340;  in  1887  they  numbered  957.     The  population  increased  in 
the  same  period  'from  8,000  to  21,000. 

In  the  assessment  roll  for  the  year  1887,  it  appeared  that  217 
citizens  were  worth  over  $10,000.  The  total  valuation  of  city 
property  jumped  from  $4,582,213,  to  $13,182,171.  In  February, 
1888,  the  total  value  of  buildings  under  construction  was 
$2,000,000.  In  the  next  month,  19,667,000  feet  of  lum]>er  were 
imported  by  sea,  and  in  April  the  total  was  18,000,000  feet.  A 
review  of  five  months'  property  sales  made  in  June,  1888,  showed 
an  aggregate  of  $9,713,742. 


432  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

The  custom  house  collections  rose  from  $5,739,  in  1885,  to 
$10,717  in  1886;  to  $29,815  in  1887,  and  to  $311,935  in  1888. 
The  exports  in  1887  were  $165,909,  in  1888  $371,360,  and  in 
1889  $376,799.  The  vessels  arriving  and  clearing  showed  a  sim- 
ilar record. 

The  great  register  of  voters  of  San  Diego  County,  dated 
September,  1888,  contained  9,921  names.  Directories  and  news- 
papers of  the  time  show  that  there  were  7  places  of  amusement ; 
20  architects ;  3  expert  accountants ;  4  abstractors  of  title ;  4 
dealers  in  agricultural  implements;  2  dealers  in  artists'  mate- 
rials; 3  teachers  of  art;  2  exhibitions  of  works  of  art;  1  assayer; 
9  artists ;  63  attorneys-at-law ;  6  awning,  tent,  and  sail  makers : 
6  auctioneers ;  5  manufacturers  of  artificial  stone ;  20  shoemak- 
ers ;  11  shoe  dealers ;  9  banks ;  2  bands ;  37  barbers ;  15  black- 
smiths ;  12  bakers ;  2  boat  houses ;  6  booksellers ;  9  bath  houses ; 
5  wholesale  butchers;  2  bookbinders:  3  beer  bottlers;  6  brewers' 
agents;  7  brick  companies;  5  billiard  halls;  2  building  and  loan 
associations ;  6  carriage  and  wagon  dealers ;  10  carriage  and 
wagon  makers;  1  carriage  trimmer;  11  country  produce  dealers; 

17  commission  merchants ;  10  civil  engineers  and  surveyors ;  9 
capitalists ;  5  cabinet  makers ;  3  foreign  consuls ;  5  collecting 
agencies;  3  cornice  works;  11  clothiers;  3  custom  house  brokers; 

18  confectioners ;  3  carpet  dealers ;  2  carpet  cleaners ;  4  dealers 
in  Chinese  and  Japanese  goods;  4  dealers  in  curiosities;  11  deal- 
ers in  crockery  and  glassware ;  5  coal  and  wood  dealers ;  87  car- 
penters;  13  wholesale  dealers  in  cigars  and  tobacco;  4  cigar  man- 
ufacturers ;  46  cigar  dealers ;  5  general  contractors ;  14  contract- 
ors and  builders;  20  members  of  the  builder's  exchange;  37 
dressmakers;  11  dentists;  8  dyers  and  cleaners;  4  sash,  door,  and 
blind  factories ;  13  druggists ;  15  dealers  in  dry  goods ;  1  firm  of 
wood  engravers ;  6  employment  agencies ;  9  express,  truck  and 
transfer  companies;  5  dealers  in  fish,  game,  and  poultry;  13 
dealers  in  men's  furnishing  goods;  3  dealers  in  firearms;  9  deal- 
ers in  furniture;  3  wholesale  grocers;  64  retail  grocers;  39 
hotels ;  2  hair  stores ;  4  dealers  in  gas  and  lamp  fixtures ;  1  man- 
ufacturer of  gas  and  electric  light;  7  dealers  in  hardware;  7 
dealers  in  hay,  grain  and  feed;  1  housemover;  4  dealers 
in  harness  and  saddlery ;  3  ice  and  cold  storage  compa- 
nies ;  2  iron  works ;  1  dealer  in  iron  and  steel ;  18  insurance 
agents ;  20  jewelers  ;  1  junk  store ;  4  lumber  dealers ;  3  libraries ; 
24  livery,  feed,  and  sales  stables;  75  lodging  houses;  12  whole- 
sale liquor  dealers;  2  dealers  in  lime,  hair,  and  cement;  3  laun- 
dries; 2  locksmiths  and  bell-hangers ;  6  dealers  in  musical  mer- 
chandise ;  3  mortgage  and  loan  brokers ;  5  music  teachers ;  17 
meat  markets  ;  2  grain  mills  ;  1  marble  and  granite  works ;  3  man- 
ufacturers of  mantels;  15  newspapers  and  periodicals;  2  dealers 


NET  RESULT  OF  THE  BOOM  433 

in  mineral  water;  10  milliners;  2  midwives;  3  nurseries;  16  nota- 
ries public ;  5  news  dealers ;  3  oculists  and  aurists ;  7  photogra- 
phers; 4  planing  mills;  10  plumbers  and  gasfitters;  4  pilots;  3 
pawnbrokers ;  1  mainif  acturer  of  pottery ;  1  firm  of  plasterers ; 
3  dealers  in  pianos  and  organs ;  73  physicians  and  surgeons ;  14 
book  and  job  printers ;  6  dealers  in  paints  and  oils ;  18  house 
painters;  238  dealers  in  real  estate;  57  restaurants;  2  railroad 
ticket  brokers ;  1  rul)l)er  stamp  factory ;  1  stereotyper ;  2  shirt 
makers ;  2  ship  chandlers ;  2  agencies  for  safe  companies ;  2  soap 
factories ;  3  stair  builders ;  9  stationers ;  5  second-hand  stores ; 
3  sewing  machine  agencies ;  8  stenography's ;  71  saloons ;  5  deal- 
ers in  stoves  and  tinware ;  5  tinners ;  2  typewriters ;  16  merchant 
tailors;  3  undertakers;  3  veterinarians;  4  water  companies;  7 
dealers  in  wall  paper ;  5  wharves ;  19  miscellaneous  enterprises ; 
12  public  buildings  and  offices ;  2  public  parks ;  3  cemeteries ;  13 
schools  and  colleges;  17  churches  and  36  societies. 

The  increase  in  the  number  of  business  firms,  professional 
men,  etc.,  in  1887  over  1886  was  about  600. 

These  figures  represent  high  water  mark  of  the  boom  period, 
and  in  many  respects  have  never  been  equaled  since. 

The  great  boom  collapsed  in  1888,  the  first  symptom  of  strin- 
gency in  the  money  market  coming  early  in  that  year.  Those 
who  were  speculating  in  margins  threw  their  holdings  upon  the 
market,  first  at  a  small  discount,  then  at  any  price,  and  before 
the  close  of  the  month  of  January,  there  Avas  a  wild  scramble 
and  confidence  was  gone.  The  establishment  of  a  new  bank  in 
March  did  not  have  any  immediate  effect  in  restoring  confidence. 
"Save  yourself"  was  the  sole  thought  of  those  who  had  been 
foremost  in  the  gamble  for  the  "unearned  increment."  During 
the  spring  and  summer,  all  the  floating  population  and  much 
that  ought  to  have  been  permanent,  had  faded  away — some 
10,000  of  them.  Not  less  than  $2,000,000  of  deposits  were  with- 
drawn from  the  banks,  which  were  no  longer  able  to  make  loans 
on  real  estate,  and  were  struggling  to  keep  themselves  from 
enforced  liquidation.  All  works  of  public  and  private  improve- 
ment were  stopped,  and  there  was  much  distress  among  work- 
ing people.  Thus  the  spring  and  summer  passed  in  deepest 
gloom  and  foreboding,  and  actual  suffering  among  those  who 
had  lost  all.  In  the  fall,  a  better  feeling  began  to  prevail.  The 
banks  weathered  the  storm,  for  the  time  being,  and  the  citizens 
began  to  hope  for  a  steady  and  healthful  growth  for  the  future. 

What  were  the  net  results  of  the  great  boom  ?  To  a  few  indi- 
viduals, pecuniary  profit;  to  many  more  individuals,  loss  and 
disappointment ;  to  the  real  estate  market,  years  of  stagnation  ; 
but  to  San  Diego  as  a  community,  a  large  gain  in  permanent 
population  and  the  most  valuable  permanent  improvements — 


434  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

such  a  gain  as  certainly  could  not  have  been  had  in  the  same 
space  of  time  by  any  other  means. 

It  is  a  common  saying  that  what  a  town  needs  is  not  a  boom, 
Imt  stead}'  growth.  Undoubtedly,  steady  growth  is  the  health- 
ful condition  and  the  one  which  ministers  most  to  the  comfort 
and  prosperity  of  individuals.  On  the  other  hand,  one  of  the 
most  striking  lessons  in  all  human  history  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  individuals  are  often  sacrificed  to  the  good  of  the  commu- 
nity, or,  as  the  philosophers  put  it,  "to  the  welfare  of  the  social 
organism."  This  was  true  of  San  Diego  in  the  period  of  the 
great  boom.  It  is  probably  no  exaggeration  to  say,  as  Captain 
Simpson  did,  that  the  cit}^  "is  twenty  years  in  advance  of  what 
it  would  have  been  without  it."  It  is  due  to  the  truth  of  his- 
tory that  this  should  be  said,  yet  it  is  also  true  that  those  who 
have  the  best  interests  of  San  Diego  at  heart — those  who  regard 
its  best  progress  and  highest  welfare  as  something  not  neces- 
sarily synonymous  with  rapid  advances  in  real  estate  values — 
pray  that  there  may  never  be  a  repetition  of  the  wild  orgy  of 
speculation,  and  that  never  again  may  the  future  be  discounted 
as  it  was  when  the  frenzy  reached  its  height. 


CHAPTER  HI 
GROWTH  OF  PUBLIC   UTILITIES 

ERY  early  in  the  Horton  period,  the  citizens  of 
San  Diego  beg-an  to  realize  the  future  impor- 

VK/j  tance  of  various  public  utilities  and  to  plan 
y/y.  ways  and  means  for  meeting  the  need.  Water, 
Is  I  sewerage,  light,  facilities  for  transportation^ — - 
these  things  nnist  be  pro'sdded  if  a  city  of 
consequence  were  destined  to  rise  upon  the 
shores  of  the  Bay.  Although  the  boom  of 
1886-88  gave  the  greatest  impetus  to  the  growth  of  public  utili- 
ties, the  beginnings  of  several  of  them  went  farther  back. 

In  the  spring  of  1870,  Wm.  H.  Perry  and  others  undertook  to 
provide  San  Diego  with  gas.  Machinery  was  brought  by  steamer 
and  installed,  in  June.  The  venture  was  not  a  success,  however. 
In  March,  1881,  the  matter  was  again  taken  up  by  a  number 
of  citizens.  The  San  Diego  Gas  Company  was  organized  in  that 
month,  and  in  April,  articles  of  incorporation  filed.  The  incor- 
porators were :  0.  S.  Witherby,  George  A.  Cowles.  Dr.  R.  M. 
Powers,  E.  W.  Morse,  Gordon  &  Hazzard,  Bryant  Howard,  and 
M.  G.  Elmore.  The  capital  stock  was  $100,000,  and  works  cost- 
ing $30,000  were  erected  innnediately,  on  the  present  site  of  the 
gas  works — Tenth  and  M  Streets.  The  fires  were  lighted  for  the 
first  time  on  June  2,  1881.  The  fuel  used  was  petroleum. 
Elmore,  who  held  one-fourth  of  the  stock,  was  a  representative 
of  the  Petroleum  Gas  Company.  The  plant  was  thought  to  be 
sufficient  for  a  city  of  20,000.  The  number  of  subscribers  at  the 
start  was  89. 

The  use  of  petroleum  gas  proved  unsatisfactory,  however,  and 
after  an  experience  of  two  years,  the  company  made  the  neces- 
sary alterations  in  its  plant  and  began  to  use  coal,  instead.  The 
first  use.  of  coal  was  on  April  19,  1883.  From  this  time  on,  the 
gas  works  have  grown  with  the  city,  enlarging  their  plant  and 
extending  their  pipes  as  business  recpiired. 

The  subject  of  electric  lighting  came  up  in  ]\Iarch,  1885,  when 
the  city  trustees  appointed  a.  committee  of  three  to  prepare  a 
contract  for  electric  lighting.  The  Horton  House  Avas  the  first 
building  in  the  city  to  be  lighted  by  electricity.  The  first  lights 
were  furnished  by  the  Jenney  Electric  Lighting  Company,  of 
Indianapolis,  which  entered  into  a  five-year  contract  for  lighting 


436  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  city  by  the  mast  system.  Their  machinery  was  set  in  motion 
on  j\Iarch  16,  1886,  and  that  evening  the  city  was  illnminated  by 
electric  light  for  the  first  time.  In  May  the  trustees  discussed 
a  proposition  for  the  city  to  purchase  the  plant,  but  decided 
adversely.  After  the  system  had  been  in  operation  about  six 
months,  it  was  purchased  by  E.  S.  Babcock,  Jr.,  and  L.  M. 
Vance,  for  $30,000.  Mr.  Vance  had  been  the  manager  for  the 
Eastern  concern,  and  remained  in  charge.  In  March,  1887,  the 
San  Diego  Gas,  Fuel  &  Electric  Light  Companj^  was  organized, 
and  bought  the  franchises  of  the  San  Diego  Gas  Company  and 
of  the  San  Diego  &  Coronado  Gas  &  Electric  Light  Company. 
The  new  company  had  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000,  and  it 
undertook  to  furnish  gas  and  electric  light  for  San  Diego  and 
Coronado. 

In  April,  1905,  the  San  Diego  Consolidated  Gas  and  Electric 
Company  became  the  owner  of  the  works  and  franchises  of  the 
old  gas  and  electric  companies  of  San  Diego  and  has  since  sup- 
plied the  city  with  all  its  gas  and  electric  light  and  power.  Dur- 
ing 1906,  this  company  rebuilt  the  entire  gas  and  electric  plants, 
at  an  expense  of  about  $750,000.  New  machinery  and  apparatus 
were  being  installed,  including  steam  turbines  for  generating 
electricity,  a  new  500,000  foot  gas  holder,  and  additional  800,000 
foot  gas  generating  set.  The  company  owns  and  operates  about 
50  miles  of  poles  and  80  miles  of  gas  mains.  It  serves  some 
2,000  consumers  of  electric  light  and  4,000  consumers  of  gas. 
There  are  224  arc  lamps  furnished  to  the  city  of  San  Diego  and 
12  to  National  Cit.y,  for  street  lighting.  Both  the  gas  and  elec- 
tricity used  in  National  City  are  supplied  from  the  plant  in 
San  Diego. 

The  first  public  exhibition  of  the  telephone  in  San  Diego  was 
made  by  Lieutenant  Reade,  IT.  S.  Weather  Officer,  on  December 
5,  1877".  It  was  not  until  March  23,  1881,  that  the  newspapers 
state :  "  It  is  currently  reported  that  ere  many  weeks  we  will 
have  a  telephone  exchange  in  San  Diego."  The  San  Diego  Tel- 
ephone Company  was  organized  and  began  work  in  May,  1882. 
The  officers  were :  President  and  treasurer,  J.  W.  Thompson ; 
secretary,  Douglas  Gunn ;  directors,  A.  Wentscher,  J.  A.  Fair- 
child,  and  Simon  Levi.  The  first  use  of  the  lines  was  on  June 
11,  and  there  were  13  subscribers  to  the  first  exchange. 

In  1887,  the  number  of  subscribers  was  284.  The  San  Diego 
Telephone  Company  was  not  incorporated,  but  was  operated  as 
a  mutual  afi'air.  as  the  telephone  business  was  thought  to  be  in 
an  experimental  stage.  The  lines  were  extended  to  several  out- 
side points,  however;  to  Julian  in  September,  1885,  to  Ocean- 
side  in  May,  1886,  and  in  1887  to  Escondido,  Poway,  Campo. 
Tin  Juana.  Oneonta.  Coronado.  La  Jolla,  Pacific  Beach,  Ocean 


TELEPHONE  DEVELOPMENTS       437 

Beach,  and  soon  after  to  El  Cajon,  Lakeside,  Alpine,  Cuyamaca, 
Sweetwater  Dam,  Chula  Vista,  Otay,  and  Del  Alar.  In  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  the  Sunset  Telphone  and  Telegraph  Company  pur- 
chased the  plant  and  took  control.  Mr.  Thompson  continued  as 
manager  until  March  8,  1895,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  R.  L. 
Lewis,  who  still  continues  in  the  position.  At  the  time  Mr. 
Lewis  took  charge,  there  were  360  telephones  in  use  in  San 
Diego,  and  the  number  of  employes  was  9.  In  November,  1897, 
the  company  completed  the  construction  of  a  long  distance  line 
from  Santa  Ana,  which  connected  Snn  Diego  with  over  700  cities 
and  towns  in  California.  The  number  of  telephones  now  in  use 
in  the  city  is  nearly  3,200,  and  the  long  distance  system  lias  been 
greatly  extended  and  improved. 

The  Home  Telephone  Company  secured  its  city  franchise  in 
November.  1903.  and  a  county  franchise  on  June  5,  1905.  Ser- 
vice was  commenced  in  February,  1905.  It  was  organized  and 
built  largely  by  local  subscriptions.  The  automatic  system  is 
used.  The  number  of  city  subscribers  is  about  2.500  and  long 
distance  wires  have  been  extended  to  19  interior  exchanges  in 
San  Diego  County.  The  first  manager  was  Roseoe  Howard,  who 
served  until  July  1,  1905.  The  company  has  a  substantial  build- 
ing of  its  own. 

In  the  matter  of  street  improvements,  the  people  of  San  Diego 
seem  to  have  taken  little  interest  until  the  time  of  the  great 
boom.  Indeed,  the  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  are  such  that 
nowhere  are  the  streets  so  easily  kept  in  good  condition,  and 
nowhere  are  apathy  and  indifference  so  prone  to  prevail. 

In  November,  1869,  a  proposition  was  made  to  license  saloons 
and  teamsters  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  streets.  This  proposition  was  voted  down,  however. 
The  first  official  action  for  the  establishment  of  street  grades  was 
in  October,  1872,  when  the  city  engineer  was  instructed  to  make 
surveys  for  that  purpose,  from  A  Street  south  and  Thirteenth 
Street  west,  to  the  Bay. 

Fifth  Street  was  the  first  street  extended  out  upon  the  mesa, 
and  long  remained  the  only  avenue  to  what  is  now  one  of  the 
most  attractive  residence  districts  in  the  city.  This  work  was 
done  early  in  1880. 

The  first  important  street  grading  work  began  in  January, 
1886.  There  was  considerable  agitation  for  this  and  other  classes 
of  improvements  in  1886-7,  culminating  in  a  public  meeting  at 
the  Louis  Opera  House  in  August,  1887,  when  Mr.  Holabird, 
Judges  AVorks,  Puterbaugh  and  others  spoke.  It  was  thought 
the  trustees  were  not  showing  proper  zeal,  and  the  needs  of  the 
city  far  outran  their  accomplishment. 


438  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  largest  single  undertaking  in  the  way  of  street  improve- 
ments was  the  construction  of  the  sewer  system.  The  movement 
for  this  work  began  in  May,  1882,  when  a  committee  of  the  city 
council  was  appointed  and  made  a  report  on  the  city's  needs. 
Nothing  was  done  at  the  time,  but  there  was  considerable  discus- 
sion, and  by  the  spring  of  1886  the  trustees  were  fairly  forced 
by  the  growth  of  the  city  to  take  some  action.  General  Thomas 
Sedgwick  appeared  before  the  board  by  invitation  and  gave  his 
views.  On  June  25th,  he  explained  his  views  further  at  a  meet- 
ing held  in  Horton's  Hall,  and  steps  were  thereupon  taken  to 
secure  the  services  of  Colonel  George  E.  Waring,  Jr.,  of  New- 
port, Ehode  Island.  Colonel  Waring  made  his  report  in  Decem- 
ber, providing  for  a  complete  system  of  sewerage  for  the  city, 
having  a  total  length  of  211.560  feet  and  constructed  on  the 
most  approved  lines.  The  proposition  to  issue  bonds  in  the  sum 
of  $400,000  for  the  construction  of  the  system  was  voted  on  in 
the  spring  of  1887,  and  carried  by  a  large  majority.  These 
bonds  were  sold  to  the  Pacific  Bank,  of  San  Francisco,  in  June, 
and  work  began  the  following  month.  At  the  close  of  that  year 
over  38  miles  of  main  pipes  had  been  laid  and  in  July,  1888, 
the  system  was  practically  completed.  This  was  an  immense 
undertaking  for  a  city  the  size  of  San  Diego,  and  had  the  burst- 
ing of  the  boom  been  foreseen,  it  is  likely  the  citizens  would 
scarcely  have  had  the  courage  to  undertake  it.  However,  the 
"Waring  System"  still  serves  efficiently  the  needs  of  San  Diego, 
a  model  of  engineering  skill  and  of  public  spirit. 

The  newspapers  of  San  Diego  began  to  agitate  for  street  rail- 
ways in  March,  1881,  but  it  was  not  until  1886  that  their  desire 
was  gratified.  The  first  franchise  granted  was  to  Dr.  John 
McCoy,  of  Pasadena,  October  18,  1885.  The  ordinance  provided 
that  no  road  should  be  built  on  any  street  until  it  had  been 
graded  by  the  city.  Complications  arose  out  of  this  unfortunate 
provision,  upon  the  observance  of  which  McCoy  insisted.  He 
did  not  build  any  street  railways. 

The  next  franchises  granted  (two  at  one  meeting)  were  to 
.  Messrs.  Santee,  Evans,  Mathus,  Babcock,  Gruendike,  and  Story, 
and  to  Reed,  Choate  and  others,  in  March,  1886.  April  15,  1886, 
articles  of  incorporation  of  the  San  Diego  Street  Car  Company 
were  filed.  In  August,  the  trustees  gave  a  franchise  to  George 
Neal  and  James  McCoy  for  a  railroad  between  Old  and  New 
San  Diego. 

The  first  car  (a  horse  car)  was  run  on  Fifth  Street,  July  4, 
1886.  This  line  was  two  miles  long.  The  second  line  was  built 
on  D  Street,  and  had  a  length  of  IVi  mWen.  The  third  was  the 
H  Street  line,  3%  miles;  and  the  next  was  the  First  Street  line, 
%  of  a  mile  in  length.     From  this  on,  construction  was  rapid. 


STREET  RAILWAYS  439 

On  January  1,  1888,  there  were  36  4-5  miles  of  street  railroads 
running-  and  in  course  of  construction  and  about  ten  miles  more 
being  surveyed.  The  San  Diego  &  Old  Town  Motor  Railroad 
was  opened  November  21,  1887,  and  reached  Pacific  Beach 
April  1,  1888.  Its  officers  were:  President,  J.  R.  Thomas;  sec- 
retary and  manager,  A.  G.  Gasseu ;  directors,  J.  R.  Thomas,  A. 
Q.  Gassen,  R.  A.^Thomas,  E.  W.  Morse,  T.  Metcalf,  D.  B.  Hale, 
and  0.  S.  Hubbell.    It  was  extended  to  La  Jolla  in  1889. 

The  articles  of  incorporation  of  the  National  City  and  Otay 
Railroad  Company  (motor)  were  filed  in  December,  1886.  The 
capital  stock  w^as  $100,000,  later  increased  to  $1,300,000.  and  the 
Land  &  Town  Company  was  a  very  large  stockholder.  The  road 
was  opened  for  business  on  January  1.  1887.  It  has  branch  lines 
to  Chula  Vista  and  other  points.  It  has  recently  been  acquired 
by  the  Spreckels  system,  and  is  being  converted  into  a  trolley 
line. 

The  Coronado  Belt  Line  was  one  of  the  earliest  railroads 
begun.  It  w^as  constructed  by  the  Coronado  Beach  Company  in 
connection  with  the  development  of  the  hotel  property.  The 
line  extends  from  the  Coronado  Ferry  wharf  to  the  foot  of  Fifth 
Street,  San  Diego,  following  the  shore  of  the  Bay,  and  is  21.29 
miles  long. 

On  January  1,  1888,  the  names  of  the  steam  motor  companies, 
and  mileage  of  their  tracks,  were  as  follows : 

Miles 

National    City    &    Otay    Eailwav    Co 40 

Coronado    Railway 1% 

Coronado    Belt    Railway 21% 

San  Diego,   Old  Town   &  Pacific  Beach 12 

City   &    University    Heights   Railway 

Pacific   Coast   Steamship   Co.  's  Railway 1-3 

Ocean   Beach   Railway 3^^ 

Roseville    &    Old    Town    Railway 1 

La   Jolla    Park    Railway 

The  following  were  the  electric  and  horse  railways : 

Miles 

San   Diego    Electric   Street    Railway 4^^ 

San   Diego   Street   Railway   System    (horse) 9 

National   City   &   Otay   Railway    (7th   St.) % 

National    City   Street    Railway 2% 

The  single  electric  line  in  operation  at  that  time  was  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Electric  Rapid  Transit  Street  Car  Com- 
pany of  San  Diego,  of  w^hich  George  D.  Copeland  was  president. 
The  first  piece  of  road  which  it  constructed  was  from  the  foot 
of  D  Street  in  a  northerly  direction  along  the  Bay  shore,  for 
four  miles,  to  Old  Town.  This  line  began  operation  in  Novem- 
ber, 1887.    The  next  electric  road  constructed  was  that  from  the 


440 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company's  wharf  to  University  Heights, 
four  miles.  The  total  cost  of  these  lines,  up  to  the  same  date, 
was  as  follows : 

Horse    car   lines $    315,000 

Motor  car  lines 1,006,000 

Electric    car   lines 100,000 


$1,421,000 


/ 


WALDO   S.    WATERMAN 

Located,  1886;  manager  Stonewall  mine,  1886-93.     General  manager  San  Diego,  Cuyamaea  & 

Eastern  Railway  from  1891  to  date  of  his  untimely  death,    February  24,    1903. 

Director  and  Vice  President  Chamber  of  Commerce,  1902-03. 

Prominent  in  politics.     Son  of  Gov.  Watei-man 


The  new  roads  projected  at  that  time  were  estimated  to  cost  a 
half  million  more,  but  few,  if  any,  of  them  were  ever  built. 

The  San  Diego  Cable  Car  Company  was  incorporated  and 
began  work  in  August,  1889.  Its  line  extended  from  the  foot 
of  Sixth  Street,  to  C,  thence  to  Fourth,  and  up  Fourth  to 
Spruce.  The  enterprise  was  started  by  George  D.  Copeland,  and 
incorporated  by  John  C.  Fisher,  D.  D.  Dare,  J.  W.  Collins, 
George  B.  Hensley,  and  II.  F.  Norcross.     The  power  house  was 


SPRECKELS  BUYS  ROADS  441 

built  in  1889,  at  a  cost  of  $30,000,  and  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  canyon  on  Fourth  and  Spruce  Streets,  where  some 
remains  of  the  cement  foundations  may  still  be  seen.  The  line 
was  formally  opened  on  June  7,  1890.  It  was  at  that  time 
thought  that  this  development  meant  a  great  deal  for  San  Diego. 
Electric  railways  were  then  in  their  infancy  and  many  people 
thought  the  cable  system  preferable.  The  failure  of  the  Cali- 
fornia National  Bank,  its  principal  backer,  with  the  long- 
continued  depression  which  followed,  caused  the  failure  of  the 
road.  After  being  for  some  time  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  its 
property  and  franchise  were  sold  to  an  electric  railway  company, 
in  January,  1892.  Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  San  Diego's 
first  and  only  cable  car  line. 

With  the  collapse  of  the  boom,  a  reaction  from  the  too-rapid 
building  of  street  car  lines  was  to  be  expected.  A  number  of 
the  w^eak  companies  failed  and  were  absorbed  by  the  stronger 
ones.  All  the  motor  roads  went  out  of  l)usiness  or  were  con- 
verted into  electric  lines,  except  the  National  City  &  Otay  and 
the  San  Diego,  Old  Town  &  Pacific  Beach  Railways.  On  Janu- 
ary 30,  1892.  the  entire  property  of  the  San  Diego  Street  Car 
Company  passed  into  the  hands  of  A.  B.  Spreckels,  for  the  sum 
of  $115,000.  This  purchase  included  practically  all  the  live 
trackage  in  the  city,  and,  with  the  lines  since  acquired,  comprises 
all  the  older  lines  in  the  city.  Mr.  Spreckels  immediately  incor- 
porated the  San  Diego  Electric  Railway  Company,  to  operate 
his  lines,  wdth  the  following  officers :  A.  B.  Spreckels,  president ; 
E.  S.  Babcock,  vice-president;  Joseph  A.  Flint,  secretary, 
treasurer,  and  general  manager;  directors,  A.  B.  Spreckels, 
John  D.  Spreckels,  Charles  T.  Hinde,  E.  S.  Babcock,  and  Joseph 
A.  Flint. 

The  transformation  of  all  the  lines  to  electric  power  began  in 
May,  1892,  and  was  carried  vigorously  to  completion.  At  the 
present  time,  the  company  operates  25  miles  of  track  in  the  city 
and  has  10  miles  more  under  construction.  Early  in  1907,  it  will 
begin  operating  10  miles  of  interurban  track  between  San  Diego 
and  Chula  Vista. 

The  motor  line  to  La  Jolla,  of  which  the  old  San  Diego,  Old 
Town  &  Pacific  Beach  Railw^ay  formed  a  portion,  now  belongs 
to  the  Los  Angeles  &  San  Diego  Beach  Railway  Company,  of 
which  E.  S.  Babcock  is  president  and  E.  A.  Hornbeck  general 
manager.  The  road  is  now  being  converted  into  a  trolley  line. 
The  company  has  also  recently  constructed  and  is  operating  an 
electric  street  railway  to  connect  with  its  La  Jolla  line,  running 
up  C  Street  to  Sixth,  south  on  Sixth  to  its  foot,  and  thence  south- 
easterly to  the  Cuyamaca  depot. 


442  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  South  Park  and  East  Side  Railway,  an  enterprise  grow- 
ing out  of  the  operations  of  the  Bartlett  estate  under  the  pres- 
idency of  E.  Bartlett  Webster,  began  active  construction  in 
March.  1906.  Its  fii-st  line  ran  from  Twenty-fifth  and  D  to  Thir- 
tieth and  Amherst  Streets,  a  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half,  the 
poAver  house  being  located  at  the  terminal.  During  the  early 
months  of  1907  the  line  was  extended  to  Twenty-fifth  and  F, 
down  F  to  Fourth,  and  up  Fourth  to  C,  thus  reaching  the  heart 
of  the  business  district.  This  line,  which  has  become  a  strong 
factor  in  local  transportation  and  the  development  of  the  resi- 
dence district  on  the  east  side,  is  reaching  out  toward  the  bay 
in  one  direction,  and  toward  the  back  country  in  the  other.  At 
this  writing,  the  company  has  pending  applications  for  fran- 
chises up  Fourth  Street  to  B.  and  down  B  Street  to  the  bay  j 
also,  along  La  Mesa  Boulevard  to  La  Mesa  Springs,  while  El 
Ca.ion  A^alley  is  looking  to  it  hopefully  for  rapid  transit  in  the 
eariv  future. 


CHAPTER  IV 

WATER  DEVELOPMENT 

HE  question  of  an  adequate  supply  of  water 
for  San  Diego  always  has  beeu  one  of  the 
most  vital  problems  in  the  life  of  the 
place.  During  the  short  life  of  "Davis's 
Folly,"  or  "Graytown, "  and  for  some  time 
after  Horton  came,  the  inhabitants  depended 
upon  water  hauled  from  the  San  Diego  River. 
The  early  settlers  still  remember  paying  Tas- 
ker  &  Hoke  twenty-five  cents  a  pail  for  this  w^ater.  After  that, 
they  were  for  some  time  dependent  upon  a  few  wells.  An  effort 
to  find  an  artesian  supply  began  in  1871.  A  well  was  sunk  by 
Calloway  &  Co.  in  which  some  water  was  found  at  a  depth  of 
250  feet.  They  asked  for  city  aid  to  enable  them  to  continue 
boring,  but  the  proposition  to  issue  $10,000  city  bonds  to  carry 
on  the  work  was  defeated  at  an  election  held  in  July,  1872 
The  well  in  the  court  house  yard  furnished  a  good  supply,  which 
was  used  to  some  extent  for  irrigation.  In  1873  a  well  was  com- 
pleted at  the  Horton  House,  which  gave  great  satisfaction  and 
was  thought  to  demonstrate  that  "an  inexhaustible  supply  of 
good  water  exists  at  but  a  comparatively  trifling  depth,  which 
can  be  reached  with  little  expense."  The  well  which  Captain 
Sherman  sank  in  the  western  part  of  his  new^  addition,  was  also 
an  important  factor. 

The  town  soon  outgrew  the  possibility  of  dependence  upon 
wells,  early  in  its  first  boom,  and  in  1872  San  Diego's  first  water 
company  was  organized.  This  was  the  San  Diego  Water  Com- 
pany, incorporated  January  20,  1873.  The  principal  stockhold- 
ers were :  H.  M.  Covert  and  Jacob  Gruendike ;  the  incorporators 
were  these  two  and  D.  W.  Briant,  D.  O.  McCarthy,  Wm.  K. 
Gardner,  B.  F.  Nudd.  and  Return  Roberts.  The  capital  stock 
was  $90,000,  divided  into  900  shares  of  $100  each.  The  term 
of  the  incorporation  was  fifty  years  from  February  1,  1873. 
H.  M.  Covert  was  the  first  president. 

The  first  works  of  this  company  were  artesian  wells  and  reser- 
voirs. They  bored  a  well  in  Pound  Canyon,  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  Park,  and  found  water,  but  at  a  depth  of  300  feet 
the  drill  entered  a  large  cavern  and  work  had  to  be  abandoned. 
The  water  rose  to  within  60  feet  of  the  surface  and  remained 


444  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

stationary.  They  then  sank  a  well  12  feet  in  diameter  around 
the  first  pipe,  to  a  depth  of  170  feet,  and  from  the  bottom  of  this 
second  boring  put  down  a  pipe  to  tap  the  subterranean  stream. 
The  large  well  was  then  bricked  up  and  cemented.  It  had  a 
capacity  of  54,000  gallons  per  hour.  Two  small  reservoirs  were 
also  constructed,  one  at  117  feet  above  tide  water,  with  a  capac- 
ity of  70,000  gallons,  and  the  other  more  than  200  feet  above 
the  tide,  with  a  capacity  of  100,000  gallons.  The  water  was 
pumped  from  the  12-foot  well  into  these  two  reservoirs.  Such 
were  San  Diego's  first  waterworks.  In  March,  1874,  the  Union 
said  with  pride : 

About  18,000  feet  of  pipe  will  be  put  down  for  the  present. 
Pipe  now  extends  from  the  smaller  reservoir  down  Eleventh 
and  D,  along  D  to  Fifth,  down  Fifth  to  K,  along  K  to  Eleventh, 
and  will  also  run  through  Ninth  from  D  to  K  and  from  Fifth 
along  J  to  Second.  The  supply  from  this  well  will  be  sufficient 
for   30,000   population   and   is   seemingly   inexhaustible. 

But  notwithstanding  this  confidence,  in  a  few  years  the  water 
supply  in  Pound  Canyon  was  found  to  be  inadequate,  and  it 
was  determined  to  bring  water  from  the  river.  In  the  summer 
of  1875  the  company  increased  its  capital  stock  to  $250,000  for 
the  purpose  of  making  this  improvement.  A  reservoir  was  built 
at  the  head  of  the  Sandrock  Grade,  on  University  Heights.  The 
water  had  to  be  lifted  several  hundred  feet  from  the  river  to 
the  resei^'oir,  and  this  pumping  was  expensive.  In  order  to 
avoid  this  expense  and  improve  the  service,  the  company  drove 
a  tunnel  through  the  hills,  beginning  at  a  point  in  ]\Iission  Val- 
ley below  the  new  County  Hospital  and  coming  out  on  Univer- 
sity Avenue  near  George  P.  Hall's  place.  The  water  was  piped 
through  this  tunnel,  which  is  still  in  a  fair  state  of  preservation. 
A  new  reservoir  was  built  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Hawthorne  Streets ;  and  these  works  constituted  the  San  Diego 
water  system  until  the  pumping  plant  and  reservoir  at  Old  Town 
were  constructed.  This  old  reservoir  gave  sufficient  pressure 
for  the  time  being,  and  it  was  not  then  believed  the  high  mesa 
lands  would  ever  be  built  upon. 

In  the  fall  of  1879  the  papers  note  that  the  water  mains  had 
been  extended  down  K  Street  as  far  as  the  flour  mill  and  thence 
up  Twelfth  to  the  Bay  View  Hotel.  Early  in  1886  the  long 
delayed  work  on  the  river  sj^stem,  near  Old  Town,  was  resumed. 
From  numerous  wells  in  the  river  bed,  the  water  was  pumped 
into  the  large  reservoir  on  the  hill.  At  this  time  the  company 
also  made  many  extensions  and  laid  new  pipes  for  almost  the 
entire  system.  The  pumps  installed  had  a  capacity  of  6.600,000 
gallons  per  twenty-four  hours.  There  are  four  covered  reser- 
voirs with  a  total  capacity  of  4.206,000  gallons.      A  standpipe 


THE  FLUME  ENTERPRISE  445 

was  placed  on  Spreckels  Heights,  136  feet  high  and  36  inches  in 
diameter.  The  top  of  this  standpipe  was  401  feet  above  tide, 
and  it  regulated  the  pressure  all  over  the  city.  According  to 
the  engineer's  statement,  about  30,000,000  gallons  were  pumped 
during  each  month  of  the  year  1888.  The  pipe  lines,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1890,  exceeded  60  miles  and  had  cost  $800,000.  There  were 
185  fire  hydrants  connected,  for  which  the  company  received 
$100  each  per  annum. 

The  next  large  undertaking  in  the  way  of  water  development 
was  that  of  the  San  Diego  Flume  Company.  This  project  orig- 
inated with  Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke  and  W.  E.  Robinson,  who 
worked  upon  it  for  some  time  before  they  succeeded  in  inter- 
esting anyone  else.  Then  General  S.  H.  Marlette  became  inter- 
ested and  these  three  associates  secured  the  water  rights  needed 
for  the  development.  In  1885,  they  i)lanned  to  form  a  corpora- 
tion, to  be  called  the  San  Diego  Irrigating  Company,  but  for 
some  reason  the  plan  failed.  The  promoters  continued  to  work 
indefatigably,  however,  and  finally  succeeded  in  enlisting  the 
interest  of  George  D.  Copeland,  A.  W.  Hawley,  and  a  few  oth- 
ers, and  soon  were  in  a  position  to  incorporate.  The  articles  of 
incorporation  were  filed  in  May,  1886.  Besides  those  mentioned, 
the  following  were  incorporators :  Milton  Santee,  R.  H.  Stretch, 
George  "W.  Marston,  General  T.  T.  Crittenden,  Robert  Allison, 
J.  M^Luco,  and  E.  W.  Morse. 

Sufficient  money  was  paid  in  to  start  the  work.  Copeland 
became  President,  Robinson  Vice-President,  and  Stretch  Engi- 
neer. Captain  Stretch  served  about  six  months  and  did  some 
of  the  preliminary  work.  He  w^as  succeeded  by  Lew  B.  Harris, 
who  served  about  a  year,  and  then  J.  H.  Graham  became  the 
engineer  and  remained  until  the  work  was  completed.  The  cap- 
ital stock  was  $1,000,000,  divided  into  10,000  shares  of  *100  each. 

The  difficulties  encountered  were  many.  There  was  an  ineffi- 
cient contractor  whose  men  the  company  was  compelled  to  pay. 
It  was  asserted  that  the  flume  encroached  upon  an  Indian  reser- 
vation, and  there  was  frequently  a  lack  of  funds.  Their  means 
becoming  exhausted,  some  of  the  original  incorporators  were 
obliged  to  step  out.  Copeland  became  manager  in  place  of  Rob- 
inson, and  Morse  president  in  place  of  Copeland.  Later,  Bry- 
ant Howard  became  president  and  W.  H.  Ferry  superintendent, 
and  these  two  men  saw  the  work  completed. 

This  great  pioneer  undertaking  was  organized  and  carried  out 
by  far-seeing,  courageous  men,  for  the  purpose  of  irrigating  the 
rich  lands  of  El  Cajon  Valley  and  also  of  bringing  a  supply  of 
Avater  to  San  Diego.  Incidentally,  but  quite  as  important,  they 
were  aware  that  they  were  making  a  demonstration  of  the  agri- 
cultural   possibilities    of    San    Diego's    derided    back    country. 


446  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

There  were  a  few  citizens  who  understood  the  importance  of  the 
undertaking  and  watched  the  course  of  events  with  ahnost 
breathless  interest.  But  the  majority  were  too  busy  with  real 
estate  speculations  to  be  much  concerned — at  least,  this  was  true 
of  the  floating  population  of  newcomers.  Van  Dyke  writes 
pointedly:  "The  writer  and  his  associates  who  were  struggling 
to  get  the  San  Diego  River  water  out  of  the  mountains  to  give 
the  city  an  al)undant  supply,  and  reclaim  the  lieautiful  table- 
lands about  it,  were  mere  fooLs  'monkeying'  with  an  impracti- 
cable scheme,  and  of  no  consequence  anyhow." 

On  February  22,  1889,  the  completion  of  the  flume  was  cele- 
brated in  San  Diego,  most  impressively.  There  was  a  street 
parade  over  a  mile  long,  and  a  display  of  the  new  water.  A 
stream  from  a  1%  inch  nozzle  was  thrown  125  feet  into  the  air, 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Beech  Streets,  and  at  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Ivy,  another  one  150  feet  high,  to  the  admiration  of 
the  citizens.  There  were  19  honorary  presidents  of  the  day  on 
the  grand  stand.  Brj^ant  Howard,  M.  A.  Luce,  George  Puter- 
baugh,  Hon.  John  Brennan  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  D.  C.  Reed,  and 
Colonel  W.  G.  Dickinson  spoke,  and  letters  and  telegrams  from 
absent  notables  were  read. 

It  is  really  a  pity  to  have  to  spoil  the  story  of  the  celebration 
of  such  an  achievement,  with  a  joke,  but — the  truth  is,  the  water 
in  the  pipes  at  the  time  was  not  the  Flume  Company's  water, 
at  all.  The  Flume  Company  had  placed  no  valves  in  their  pipes, 
and,  consequently,  when  they  turned  the  water  on,  it  was  air- 
bound  and  the  water  advanced  very  slowly.  When  the  day  for 
the  celebration  came,  the  water  being  still  several  miles  away, 
the  officers  of  the  San  Diego  Water  Company  quietly  turned 
their  own  water  into  the  pipes,  and  had  a  good  laugh  in  their 
sleeves  while  listening  to  the  praises  the  people  lavished  on  the 
fine  qualities  of  the  "new  water."  The  Flume  Company's  water 
arrived  three  weeks  later. 

The  flume  emerges  from  the  San  Diego  River  a  short  distance 
below  the  mouth  of  Boulder  Creek,  and  proceeds  thence  down 
the  Capitan  Grande  Valley  to  El  Cajon  Valley,  about  250  feet 
from  the  Monte.  From  this  point  the  flume  curves  to  the  east 
and  south  of  El  Cajon,  at  a  considerable  elevation.  From  El 
Cajon,  the  flume  is  brought  to  the  city  by  the  general  route  of 
the  Mesa  road.  The  total  length  of  the  flume  proper  is  35.6  miles. 
The  reservoir  is  an  artificial  lake  on  the  side  of  Cuyamaca  Moun- 
tain, about  fifty  miles  from  San  Diego,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
5,000  feet.  Its  capacity  is  nearly  4,000,000,000  gallons.  It  is 
formed  by  a  breastwork  of  clay  and  cement,  built  across  the 
mouth  of  a  valley,  forming  a  natural  basin. 


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448 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


The  construction  of  this  flnme  exerted  a  very  important  intlu- 
ence  in  bringing  on  and  sustaining  the  great  boom,  although  it 
was  not  completed  until  after  the  close  of  that  episode.  The 
officers  at  the  time  of  its  completion  were :  Bryant  Howard, 
president;  W.  H.  Ferry,  vice-president  and  manager;  L.  F. 
Doolittle,  secretary ;  Bryant  Howard,  W.  H.  Ferry,  M.  A.  Luce, 
E.  W.  Morse,  and  A.  W.  Hawiey,  directors.  These  men  are 
entitled  to  the  credit  of  being  the  first  to  carry  to  a  successful 
conclusion  a  scheme  of  development  of  the  water  resources  of 
San  Diego  County,  upon  a  large  scale. 


SWEETWATER   DAM   IN   COURSE   OF   CONSTRUCTION,    1887 


The  construction  of  the  Sweetwater  Dam  was  begun  November, 
1886,  and  completed  March,  1888,  under  the  well-known  engineer, 
James  D.  Schuyler.  The  Dam  alone  cost  $225,000  and  the 
lands  used  for  reservoir  site  17.  .9,000  more.  The  original  in- 
vestment in  the  system  of  distribution  exceeded  half  a  million 
dollars.  The  reservoir  stores  7,000,000,000  gallons  and  supplies 
National  City  Chula  Vista,  and  a  small  area  of  land  in  Sweet- 
w^ater  Valley. 

The  Otay  Water  Company  filed  its  articles  of  incorporation 
March  15,  1886,  its  declared  ob.ject  being  to  irrigate  the  Otay 
Valley  lands  and  the  adjacent  mesa,  and  E.  S.  Babcock  being 
the  principal  owner.  In  1895  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  the 
Spreckels  Brothers  and  the  name  of  the  corporation  was  changed 


E.    S.    BABCOCK 

Who  came  to  San  Diego  in  1884  to  hunt  quail  and  remained  to  influence  events  more  power- 
fully than  anyone  since  Horton.     A  man  of  big  conceptions  and  restless  enterprise, 
he  founded  Coronado,  engaged  assiduously  in  water  development,   and   was 
identified  with  numerous  public  utility  corporations.     Moreover,    he 
it  was  who  interested  John  D.  Spreckels  in  local  enterprises 
and  thereby  started  a  series  of  developments  which  is 
still  unfolding,  to  the  immense  advantage 
of   the   city   and   region 


450 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


to  the  Southern  California  Mountain  Water  Company.  Later, 
the  Spreekelses  became  sole  owners.  This  company  has  an  impor- 
tant contract  under  which  it  now  supplies  the  city  with  its  entire 
water  supply.  Its  storage  dam  is  at  ^Moreno  and  its  pipe  line 
was  extended  to  the  city  reservoir  and  the  delivery  of  water 
commenced  in  the  summer  of  1906. 

The  San  Diego  Water  Company  was  incorporated  in   1889, 
and  in  1894  the  Consolidated  Water  Company  was  formed  for 


C.    S.    ALVERSON 

To  whom  the  public  and  the  government  is  largely  indebted  for  exact  knowledge  concerning- 

the  water  resources  of  the  western  slope  of  San  Diego  County,  which 

he  has  studied  for  twenty  years 


the  purpose  of  uniting  the  San  Diego  Water  Companv  and  the 
San  Diego  Flume  Company  under  one  ownership.  The  Consoli- 
dated acquired  by  exchange  of  securities  all  the  stock  and  bonds 
of  both  the  water  and  the  flume  company.  On  July  21,  1901, 
the  system  of  distribution  within  the  city  limits  becanie  the  prop- 
erty of  the  municipalitA'.  a  bond  issue  of  $600,000  having  been 
voted  for  its  acquisition.  The  city  olitained  its  supplv  from  the 
pumping  plant  in  Mission  Valley  until  August,  1906,  when  its 


WATER  QUESTION  SETTLED  451 

contract  with  the  Southern  California  ^Mountain  Water  Com- 
pany went  into  operation.  Under  the  terms  of  this  contract, 
the  city  obtains  an  abundant  supply  of  water  from  mountain 
reservoirs  at  a  price  of  four  cents  per  thousand  gallons,  the 
water  being  delivered  to  its  mains  on  University  Heights. 

The  water  question  has  been  from  the  beginning  a  prolific 
source  of  controverey  between  the  people  and  various  corpora- 
tions, and  every  important  stage  of  its  evolution,  from  the  day 
of  the  earliest  wells  to  the  time  when  the  great  Spreckels  sys- 
tem was  sufficiently  developed  to  meet  the  present  demands,  was 
was  markd  by  acrimonious  discussion  and  sharp  divisions  in  the 
community.  The  Spreckels  contract  was  not  approved  by  public 
opinion  until  an  unsuccessful  effort  had  been  made  to  increase 
the  city's  own  supply  by  the  purchase  of  water-bearing  lands 
in  El  Cajon  Valley  and  the  establishment  of  a  great  pumping 
plant  at  that  point.  The  municipal  election  of  1905  tuimed 
largely  upon  this  issue.  It  resulted  in  the  election  of  a  mayor 
favorable  to  the  El  Cajon  project,  with  a  council  opposed  to  it. 
A  referendum  on  the  subject  revealed  a  curious  state  of  the 
•public  mind.  A  majority  favored  the  purchase  of  the  lands, 
but  opposed  their  development.  The  majority  in  favor  of  buj^- 
ing  lands  fell  short  of  the  necessary  two-thirds,  however,  and 
the  city  government  then  turned  to  the  Southern  California 
Mountain  Water  Company  as  the  only  feasible  means  of  creat- 
ing a  water  supply  to  meet  the  needs  of  a  rapidly  growing  city. 

The  mayor  vetoed  the  contract  with  the  Spreckels  company 
when  it  first  came  to  him  from  the  council,  urging  that  it  be 
revised  in  such  a  way  as  to  put  its  legality  beyond  all  possible 
question  (the  contract  was  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  while  the 
city  attorney  advised  that  it  could  legally  be  made  for  only  one 
year  at  a  time),  and  also  to  reserve  the  city's  right  to  operate 
its  pumping  plant  in  Mission  Valley  sufficiently  to  keep  it  in 
condition  to  meet  an  emergency.  The  council  promptly  passed 
the  contract  over  the  mayor's  veto,  whereupon  it  was  signed  by 
the  executive.  The  act  was  followed  by  the  rapid  completion  of 
the  pipe  line  to  the  city  and  the  construction  of  an  aerating 
plant  on  University  Heights. 

The  consummation  of  this  contract  ended  the  long  struggle 
for  water  and  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  epoch  in  the  city's 
life.  This  fortunate  result  was  not  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
contract  was  made  with  any  particular  company,  nor  to  the  fact 
that  it  brought  water  from  any  particular  source.  It  was  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  people  of  San  Diego  had  obtained  a  cheap 
and  reliable  water  supply  adequate  to  the  needs  of  a  city  three 
or  four  times  its  present  size.  Water  from  El  Cajon  or  from 
San  Luis  Rev  would  have  served  the  same  purpose  and  exerted 


452  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  same  happy  influence  on  the  growth  of  population  and  sta- 
bilit}'  of  values.  Since  the  city  had  failed  to  adopt  a  project  of 
its  own,  it  was  very  fortunate  to  possess  a  capitalist  able  and 
willing  to  meet  its  needs  upon  reasonable  terms  at  a  crucial 
moment  in  its  history. 


PART  FIFTH 

The  Last  Two  Decades 


CHAPTER  I 
LOCAL   ANNALS  AFTER  THE  BOOM 

HE  collapse  of  the  great  boom,  while  it  brought 

Tjj..  ,.  much  individual  suffering,  did  not  cause  a 
(rJl  ^^^^^  number  of  failures.  A  few  merchants 
/(O  and  small  tradesmen  went  out  of  business, 
^•^  '  owing  to  stagnation  and  decrease  in  popula- 
tion, but  the  banks  weathered  the  storm,  for 
the  time  being,  and  materially  improved 
their  condition.  The  California  National  Bank 
was  opened  in  January,  1888,  and  the  California  Savings  Bank, 
under  the  same  management,  a  year  later,  and  both  adopted  a 
liberal  policy.  Money  became  available  for  carrying  out  many 
improvements  contracted  for  during  the  boom,  which  had  been 
dropped  at  the  time  of  the  collapse.  By  fall  it  was  felt  that  the 
Avorst  was  over  and  an  era  of  steady  growth  was  at  hand. 

Between  the  end  of  the  boom  and  the  summer  of  1891,  many 
of  the  most  important  public  and  private  improvements  in  San 
Diego  were  completed.  To  this  period  belongs  the  completion 
and  opening  of  the  Hotel  del  Coronado.  the  construction  of  the 
Spreckels  coal  bunkers  and  wharves,  the  rebuilding  of  the  court 
house,  the  laying  of  several  miles  of  street  pavement,  the  exten- 
sion of  the  electric  railway  to  University  Heights,  and  the  San 
Diego.  Cuyamaca  &  Eastern  Railway  to  El  Ca.jon.  The  flume 
was  also  completed  and  began  to  deliver  water  for  use  in  the 
city.  ]\Iany  school  houses  and  churches  were  built.  A  compe- 
tent authority  has  estimated  that  over  $10,000,000  were  invested 
in  permanent  improvements  in  this  period.  The  population  rose 
slowly  but  steadily,  and  by  the  census  of  1890  was  nearly  17.000. 
These  high  hopes  were  destined  to  be  again  severely  checked, 
however,  at  a  time  when  trouble  was  least  expected.  In  October, 
1891.  the  California  National  Bank  failed  disastrously,  and  this 
failure  effectually  checked  the  gro-wth  of  the  city.  None  of  the 
other  banks  failed  at  that  time,  but  in  the  following  summer, 
during  the  financial  stringency  which  prevailed  all  over  the 
country,  several  of  tlieni  were  obliged  to  give  up  the  struggle, 
as  related  in  the  chapter  on  banking.  These  disastei-s,  the  cul- 
mination of  a  long  series  of  misfortunes  under  which  the  city 
suffered,  caused  indescribable  gloom  and  discouragement.  Nev- 
ertheless, as  on  similar  occasions  in  the  past,  the  good  sense  and 


456 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


fortitude  of  the  people  soon  asserted  themselves.  They  set  about 
the  task  of  saying  what  they  could  out  of  the  wreck  and  waited 
for  better  times.  It  is  not  designed  to  go  minutely  into  the 
annals  of  these  quiet  years.  A  few  things  have  been  selected 
which  it  is  hoped  will  prove  of  especial  interest. 

The  first  theater  in  San  Diego  was  known  as  Leach's  Opera 
House,  which  stood  on  D  Street  between  First  and  Second.    The 


D.   CHOATE 

Who  next  to  Horton,  had  the  distinction  of  being  the  largest  operator  in  real  estate  in  early 
days.     He  located  here  in  1869,  purchased  hundreds  of  acres  of  what  is  now  the  best 
outlying  residence  districts  of  the  city  and  subdivided  them.     He  laid  out  no 
less  than  ten  different  additions.    Perhaps  his  most  important  achieve- 
ment in  San  Diego  was  the  founding  of  the  College  Hill  Land 
Association.    He  was  postmaster  from  1875  to  1882 


building  was  erected  about  1881  and  first  used  as  a  gj^mnasium. 
Wallace  Leach  and  W.  F.  McKee  purchased  it  in  1883  and  con- 
ducted it  as  a  theater  about  five  years.  The  Louis  Opera  House 
(now  called  the  Grand),  on  Fifth  Street  between  B  and  C,  was 
opened  March  1,  1887,  by  the  Farini  Opera  Company.  The 
Fisher  Opera  House  (now  the  Isis)  was  opened  January  12, 
1892,   by  the   Carleton   Opera   Company,   in   the   comic   opera, 


JESSE   GILLMORE 


H.    C.    GORDON 


GEO.    W.    BOWLER  G.    C.    ARNOLD 

VETERAN   REAL   ESTATE   DEALERS 


458  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

"Indigo."  The  house  was  built  by  John  C.  Fisher,  who  was 
also  largely  interested  in  the  old  cable  railway.  The  total  seat- 
ing capacity  of  the  theater  is  1,400.  The  drop  curtain  was 
painted  by  Thomas  G.  Moses,  of  Chicago,  and  represents  the 
"Piazzi  d'Erbe,"  a  market  place  in  Verona. 

One  of  the  best  remembered  events  was  the  celebration  of  the 
350th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  San  Diego  by 
Cabrillo,  which  was  held  on  the  28th.  29th  and  30th  days  of 
Septemlier,  1892.  This  celebration  was  held  at  the  suggestion 
of  Walter  Gifford  Smith.  A  large  number  of  visitors  came 
to  witness  the  event.  Governor  Markham  was  present  with  his 
staff;  Admiral  Gherardi  with  the  Baltimore  and  Charleston; 
General  Torres,  of  Lower  California,  and  staff;  and  Generals 
McCook  and  Johnson  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  with  their  staffs.  The 
streets  and  the  shipping  in  the  Bay,  including  the  U.  S.  and  for- 
eign men  of  war,  were  handsomely  decorated. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  features  was  the  presence  of  a 

number  of  Luisanio  and  Dieguino  Indians,  both  men  and  women, 
garbed  and  decorated  in  a  manner  which  was  practically  histor- 
ically correct.  These  people  came  from  their  homes  at  San  Luis 
Key  and  elsewhere,  at  the  personal  request  of  Father  Ubach, 
and  were  by  him  drilled  for  their  part  in  the  ceremonies. 

The  Luisanio  Indian  men  were  naked  above  the  waist  and 
below  the  thighs,  and  their  bodies  were  painted  with  white  and 
black,  the  groundwork  being  laid  on  in  broad  horizontal  bands. 
The  Dieguenos  wore  red,  black,  and  white  paint  in  fantastic 
designs ;  the  groundwork  being  red  and  the  decorations  black 
and  white.  Each  wore  on  his  head  a  dress  of  eagle  feathers  and 
a  few  had  a  single,  tall,  straight  eagle  plume.  Their  arms  con- 
sisted of  bows  and  arrows  and  a  wooden  weapon  resembling  a 
boomerang.  The  women  were  also  painted  and  each  wore  on 
her  head  a  wreath  of  tule.  The  Luisanios  were  under  the  com- 
mand of  Chief  Jose  Pachito  and  General  Pedro  Pablo  and  the 
Dieguenos  under  Chief  La  Chappa  and  General  Cenon  Duro. 
The  latter  was  the  last  chief  of  the  Mesa  Grande  Indians,  and 
died  in  October,  1906. 

At  9:30  on  the  28th,  the  ship  representing  the  San  Salvador, 
flying  the  orange  and  red  of  Arragon  and  Castile,  came  up  the 
channel  and  anchored.  Emanuel  Cabral,  a  fisherman  of  La 
Playa,  chosen  for  his  resemblance  to  Cabrillo,  stood  uj^on  the 
deck  dressed  in  black  velvet,  gold  doublet,  full  short  knee- 
breeches,  black  silk  long  hose,  and  broad  Spanish  hat  with  white 
plume.  An  hour  later  he  was  rowed  ashore  by  a  crew  similarly 
attired  and  received  by  the  Indian  chiefs  and  their  150  follow- 
ers. He  unfurled  the  flag  and  took  possession  of  the  country  in 
the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain ;  then,  having  read  his  declara- 


CASE  OF  THE  "ITATA"  459 

tion,  he  planted  his  sword  in  the  sand  before  the  flag,  kissed 
the  cross-hilt,  and  the  Indians,  at  his  request,  followed  his 
example. 

After  this  there  was  a  great  procession  in  which  the  Indians 
and  many  other  interesting  features  appeared.  There  were  floats 
representing  Cortes  and  other  historic  characters;  a  large  band 
of  Spanish  vaqueros,  led  by  Don  Tomas  Alvarado,  Don  Pancho 
Pico,  Seiior  Argiiello,  and  Don  Manuel  A.  Ferrer;  a  company 
of  Mexican  rurales  in  buckskin  and  broad-brimmed  hats ;  a  com- 
pany of  American  cowboys,  etc.  At  the  Plaza,  Governor  Mark- 
ham  presided  and  addresses  were  made  by  the  Governor,  by  Hon. 
R.  F.  Del  Valle,  of  Los  Angeles,  and  by  the  Very  Reverend 
Father  J.  Adam.  Hon.  R.  M.  Daggett  read  an  original  poem 
entitled  Cabrillo. 

On  the  29th  there  was  an  Indian  fiesta,  at  which  they  exhib- 
ited their  native  dances,  and  a  vaquero  tournament,  which  lasted 
two  days.  There  was  also  a  ball  at  the  Hotel  del  Coronado,  a 
reception  on  board  the  Baltimore,  yacht  races,  and  other  amuse- 
ments.   A  similar  celebration  was  held  the  following  year. 

The  case  of  the  Chilean  insurgent  vessel  Itata  is  a  somewhat 
celebrated  one.  In  the  spring  of  1891  there  was  an  insurrection 
in  progress  in  Chile,  against  the  government  of  President  Bal- 
maceda.  The  revolutionary  party  finally  triumphed,  but  at  the 
time  of  the  Itata  incident,  the  revolution  had  not  made  much 
headway.  The  insurgents  were  in  need  of  arms  and  ammuni- 
tion and  sent  an  agent  to  the  United  States  to  secure  them.  This 
agent,  a  man  named  Burke,  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Pan- 
ama Railway  Company  and  was  familiar  with  conditions  in 
South  America.  He  went  to  New  York  and  consulted  attorneys 
who  advised  him  that  he  might  lawfully  purchase  and  ship  the 
supplies,  but  that  the  United  States  could  not  permit  a  vessel  to 
outfit  and  clear  from  its  ports  with  them  on  board — that  this 
would  be  an  act  of  unfriendliness  to  the  Chilean  government. 
His  prol)lem  then  was,  how  to  get  his  purchases  out  of  the  coun- 
try without  getting  into  trouble. 

Burke  purchased  a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammunition  aud  had 
them  shipped  to  San  Francisco,  where  they  were  put  on  board 
the  schooner  Bo'bert  and  Minnie  without  molestation.  The 
schooner  sailed  south,  expecting  to  meet  an  insurgent  vessel  and 
transfer  the  cargo,  at  some  island.  Meanwhile,  the  steamer 
Itata,  guarded  by  the  insurgent  man-of-war  Esmeralda,  was  dis- 
patched from  Iquique  to  meet  the  Bohert  and  Minnie.  The 
Itata  was  obliged  to  put  into  the  port  of  San  Diego  for  coal  and 
other  supplies,  before  meeting  the  Rohrrt  and  Minnie.  Had  it 
not  been  for  this  necessity,  no  such  complications  as  arose  would 
have  ensued.   The  Itata  had  papers  from  Iquique  which  appeared 


460  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

regular,  and  she  passed  for  a  peaceful  merchantman.  She  was 
an  English-built  steamer  which  had  been  in  the  South  American 
trade.  Her  commander  was  Captain  Manzden,  a  German.  The 
crew  was  not  unusually  large,  and  no  suspicion  was  excited  by 
her  visit.  i 

Mr.  Burke,  however,  proved  somewhat  indiscreet ;  in  fact,  he 
felt  so  sure  of  himself  that  he  soon  took  the  public  into  his  con- 
fidence. At  Port  San  Pedro  he  took  the  United  States  Customs 
Inspector  on  board  the  schooner,  showed  him  his  cargo,  and  told 
him  what  he  expected  to  do  with  it.  The  inspector  reported  this 
to  his  superiors  and  asked  for  instructions,  and  the  revenue  offi- 
cers there  and  at  San  Diego  were  thereupon  instructed  to  watch 
the  Robert  and  Minnie  and  the  Itata.  United  States  Marshal 
Gard.  of  Los  Angeles,  was  also  sent  to  San  Diego  to  investigate, 
with  power  to  seize  the  Itata;  with  him  came  also  Harry  Morse, 
of  the  Morse  Detective  Agency,  San  Francisco,  who  represented 
the  Balmaceda  government. 

Upon  his  arrival.  Marshal  Gard  seems  to  have  acted  on  his 
Qwn  account  and  failed  to  take  the  San  Diego  collector.  Colonel 
John  R.  Berry,  into  his  confidence.  Colonel  Berry  had  started 
on  a  business  trip  to  Corona  and  first  heard  of  the  trouble  at 
Santa  Ana.  He  immediately  returned  to  San  Diego,  and  relates 
that  he  came  down  on  the  same  train  with  Gard  and  Morse  and 
sat  in  the  same  seat  with  the  former,  who  liad  not  a  word  to  say 
about  the  Itata.  "While  they  were  in  the  act  of  leaving  the  train. 
Colonel  Berry  says,  he  remarked  to  Gard:  "I  suppose  you  are 
here  on  the  Itata  business?"  and  Gard  denied  it,  point  blank. 
After  trying  in  vain  to  get  the  captain  drunk,  in  the  hope  that 
he  would  betray  himself,  Gard  seized  the  steamer  and  placed 
one  man  on  board  of  her  as  a  guard.  He  did  not,  however,  dis- 
able her  machinery. 

It  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  Eohert  and  Minnie  was  off 
the  harbor  and  holding  communication,  through  a  pilot  boat,  with 
the  Itata.  The  collector  intercepted  a  letter  which  showed  that 
a  rendezvous  had  been  appointed  off  San  Clemente  Island.  On 
May  13th.  while  both  the  marshal  and  the  collector  were  absent 
on  separate  expeditions  in  search  of  the  Eohert  and  Minnie,  the 
Itata  got  up  steam  and  boldly  left  the  harbor.  Captain  ^Tanz- 
den  had  applied  for  clearance  papers  and  been  refused.  He 
soon  put  the  guard  and  the  pilot  on  shore  and  disappeared,  met 
the  Eohert  and  Minnie  at  San  Clemente  Island,  took  the  muni- 
tions of  war  on  board,  and  started  for  Iquique. 

In  San  Diego,  every  kind  of  wild  rumor  filled  the  air.  It  was 
said  that  the  Ifata's  decks  had  suddenly  swarmed  Avith  men  who 
had  been  lying  concealed  in  her  hold,  that  heavy  guns  were 
brought  n])  and  preparations  made  for  a  fight.    In  fact,  the  gov- 


A  BATTLE  AVOIDED  461 

ernment's  special  agent  reported  that  she  left  the  harbor  "a 
fully  armed  man-of-war."  It  was  established  on  the  trial  in  the 
United  States  court  that  these  reports  were  much  exaggerated. 
The  steamer  only  carried  a  small  armament  of  light  rifles,  which 
were  old  and  greasy.  She  had  no  heavy  guns,  and  was  incapa- 
ble of  being  transformed  into  a  fighting  craft.  Another  rumor 
was  that  "a  long,  low  rakish  craft"  had  been  seen  several  times 
off  the  harbor.  This  report  had  reference  to  the  Esmeralda, 
which  soon  after  met  the  Itata  off  the  Mexican  coast  near 
Acapulco.  The  two  vessels  had  no  sooner  met  and  begun  prep- 
arations for  transferring  the  munitions,  however,  when  the 
United  States  cruiser  Charleston,  which  had  been  sent  in  pur- 
suit, appeared  in  the  distance.  The  Itata  immediately  steamed 
westward  as  fast  as  possible,  while  the  Esmeralda  cleared  her 
decks  for  action.  There  was  no  fight,  although  there  was  con- 
siderable tension,  and  the  officei-s  and  crew^  of  the  Esmeralda 
were  able  to  derive  considerable  satisfaction  subsequently^  from 
telling  what  they  would  have  done  to  the  Yankee  ship,  had  they 
been  given  a  chance.  The  Charleston  soon  passed  onward  to  the 
south,  leaving  the  Esmeralda  struggling  with  the  problem  of 
securing  a  supply  of  coal  at  Acapulco,  the  Mexican  officials  hav- 
ing refused  to  allow  her  to  take  on  a  supply.  She  finalh^  solved 
it  by  taking  the  coal  by  force.  The  Charleston  met  the  Itata  at 
Iquique.  captured  her  without  resistance,  and  brought  her  back 
to  San  Diego.  In  the  suit  which  was  brought  against  her  and 
tried  in  the  United  States  district  court,  in  March,  1892.  the 
government  was  beaten  on  every  point  and  the  vessel  ordered 
released.  The  insurgents  had,  in  the  meantime,  succeeded  in 
overturning  the  Balmaceda  administration  and  taking  possession 
of  the  Chilean  government.  They  hotly  resented  the  seizure  of 
the  Itata.  and  this  incident,  with  other  alleged  irregularities  on 
the  part  of  our  navy,  led  to  the  assault  on  the  sailors  of  the 
Baltimore,  in  the  harbor  of  A^alparaiso,  which  came  so  near 
involving  the  United  States'  in  war  with  Chile. 

To  pass  from  these  exciting  events  to  the  story  of  a  dog  may 
seem  a  long  step,  but  both  belong  to  the  annals  of  these  peace- 
ful years,  and  no  careful  historian  can  afford  to  ignore  "Bum," 
San  Diego 's  firet  and  only  town  dog.  He  was  a  large,  handsome, 
St.  Bernard  dog,  born  in  San  Francisco  on  July  3,  1886,  and 
came  to  San  Diego  while  young  as  a  steamer  stowaway.  He  was 
adopted  by  a  kind-hearted  Chinese  named  Ah  Wo  Sue,  who  pro- 
vided a  home  and  took  good  care  of  him,  whenever  Bum  would 
allow  him  to  do  so.  The  dog  had  one  peculiarity,  however,  which 
unfitted  him  for  domestic  life :  he  seemed  to  lack  the  gift  of  per- 
sonal attachment  which  is  supposed  to  belong  to  all  dogs.  He 
was,  however,  devoted  to  the  larger  life  of  the  citv  and  formed 


462  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

an  important,  even  thonph  humble,  part  of  it  all  his  life.  It 
may  be  said  of  him  that,  if  he  was  nobody's  dog,  he  was  so  much 
the  more  everybody's  dog. 

On  August  3,  1887,  while  engaged  in  a  disgraceful  fight  with 
a  bulldog  near  the  Santa  Fe  depot,  the  two  were  run  over  by 
an  engine.  The  bulldog  was  killed,  and  Bum  lost  his  right 
fore-paw  and  part  of  his  tail,  and  was  otherwise  severely  bruised 
and  cut.  His  neglected  Chinese  friend  promptly  came  to  the 
rescue,  had  his  wounds  dressed  and  treated  by  the  best  surgical 
skill,  and  carried  him  home  and  nursed  him  back  to  health.  It 
is  sad  to  have  to  add  that  Bum  left  his  benefactor  as  soon  as  he 
was  able  to  do  so.  and  resumed  his  Bohemian  life. 

He  was  a  public  character  and  his  habitation  was  the  street. 
He  slept  or  rested  on  the  sidewalks,  usually  where  tratfic  was 
thickest,  and  the  good-natured  people  carefull.v  walked  around 
him.  Restaurant  keepers  and  butchers  gladly  fed  him  and  he 
made  a  regular  round  of  daily  calls  to  supply  his  wants.  He 
was  a  welcome  visitor  in  every  store  and  public  place.  He  would 
go  to  the  court  house  and  mount  the  judge's  chair,  ride  in  the 
omnibuses  to  and  from  the  depots,  and  march  at  the  head  of  pro- 
cessions and  funerals,  but  his  especial  delight  was  to  run  with 
the  fire  engines.  As  soon  as  the  bell  announced  an  alarm,  he 
would  start  for  the  engine  house,  barking  joyously.  "Clear  the 
track — Bum's  coming!"  would  be  the  cry,  and  all  stepped  aside 
to  let  him  pass.  One  year  the  dog  licenses  were  headed  by  his 
picture,  but  the  city  fathere  exempted  him  by  a  special  order 
from  the  payment  of  taxes.  A  favorite  diversion  was  to  go  on 
excursions,  either  alone  or  with  a  crowd.  He  visited  all  the  near- 
by towns  and  w^ent  once  to  Los  Angeles,  returning  voluntarily 
after  two  or  three  days. 

When  he  was  about  four  years  old.  some  mischievous  men 
forced  him  to  drink  liquor,  and  he  became  an  habitual  drunkard. 
He  sank  to  the  lowest  depths  of  degradation,  became  dirty  and 
mangy,  and  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  a  "bum."  Ah  Wo  Sue 
now  came  to  the  rescue  once  more,  took  him  home  and  kept  him 
shut  up  several  weeks  on  a  temperance  diet,  until  he  was  cured 
and  went  forth  a  true  dog  once  more.  Did  he  show  gratitude? 
Not  he;  his  affections  were  entirely  impersonal;  he  immediately 
resumed  his  free  life  and  became  once  more  the  city's  favorite. 

It  is  of  record  that  Bum  once  saved  the  life  of  a  small  dog  by 
carrying  him  l)y  the  nape  of  his  neck  off  the  street  car  track. 
He  had  his  weaknesses,  one  of  which  was  a  disposition  to  fight 
with  other  dogs  now  and  then.  His  manner  of  fighting  was  to 
get  his  antagonist  down  and  hammer  him  with  his  crippled  leg. 
But  as  a  rule  he  treated  all  other  dogs  with  lofty  contempt,  look- 
ing through  them  as  though  he  did  not  see  them,  and  compelling 


THE  PASSING  OF  "BUM" 


463 


respect  by  his  dignified  bearing.  The  pupils  of  the  Sherman 
Heights  School  prepared  a  neat  booklet  telling  the  story  of 
Bum's  life  and  setting  forth  his  good  qualities.  This  pamphlet 
was  dedicated  to  "Ah  Wo  Sue,  who  so  kindly  cared  for  and 
nursed  our  'city  dog/  "  and  several  thousand  copies  of  it  were 
sold. 

This  noble  citizen  ended  his  life,  as  he  had  chosen  to  live  it, 
at  the  public  charge.  Becoming  crippled  with  rheumatism,  he 
was  given  a  home  at  the  County  Hospital,  by  order  of  the  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and  died  there  a  few  months  after.  It  was  surely 
a  happy  fate,  and  worthy  the  ambition  of  any  dog,  to  be  held 
in  affectionate  remembrance  by  so  large  a  number  of  people  as 
is  San  Diego's  "Bum." 


'  'l->TTl\T  '  ' 


SAN   DIEGO'S   TOWN   DOG,    "BUM 


CHAPTER  II 

POLITICAL  AFFAIRS   AND   MUNICIPAL   CAMPAIGNS 

FTER  the  abolition  of  the  city  charter  in  1852, 
the  municipal  affairs  of  San  Diego  were  ad- 

Al^^l  ininistered  by  a  board  of  three  trustees.  Addi- 
jM  tional  powers  were  conferred  upon  these 
5  ivl  trustees,  and  the  boundaries  of  the  city  de- 
fined, in  1868  and  1870.  At  the  general  elec- 
tion in  the  fall  of  1871,  for  the  first  time,  the 
Republicans  elected  a  number  of  their  candi- 
dates, and  the  city  and  county  have  continued  to  be  Republican, 
as  a  rule,  ever  since.  An  interesting  feature  of  the  election  last 
mentioned  was  that  Mr.  Horton  and  James  McCoy  were  oppos- 
ing candidates  for  the  state  senate.  Mr.  Horton  received  a 
majority  of  fifty  in  his  own  county,  and  it  was  thought  for  a 
time  that  he  was  elected ;  but  when  the  returns  came  in  from 
San  Bernardino  County,  McCoj^  had  a  majority. 

In  1872,  a  new  county  government  act  was  passed,  which  went 
into  effect  in  March.  The  same  act  provided  for  the  reincorpo- 
ration of  the  city  and  increased  the  number  of  trustees  to  five. 
The  first  city  election  under  the  new  charter  was  held  on  April 
9,  and  resulted  in  the  election  of  D.  W.  Briant,  John  M.  Boyd, 
Jose  G.  Estudillo,  E.  G.  Haight,  and  W.  J.  McCormick  as  trus- 
tees, A.  G.  Gassen,  city  marshal,  and  M.  P.  Shaffer,  city  assessor. 
At  the  fall  election  in  this  j^ear,  the  county  gave  Grant  and  Wil- 
son a,  majority  of  152  and  Houghton  for  Congress  235. 

April  7,  1876,  a  new  city  charter  was  adopted.  The  admin- 
istration of  city  affairs  was  continued  in  a  board  of  five  trustees. 
In  March,  1879.  while  the  question  of  the  adoption  of  the  new 
constitution  was  up,  there  was  a  warm  campaign.  Dennis  Kear- 
ney spoke  at  the  skating  rink  and  had  a  large  audience.  The 
Union  led  the  friends  of  the  new  constitution.  On  April  4, 
it  said: 

The  Union  hears  that  a  vulgar  and  profane  blatherskite 
named  Wellock,  who  has  achieved  notoriety  as  a  ranter  at  the 
sand  lots  of  San  Francisco,  has  announced  his  intention  to 
stump  Southern  California  in  behalf  of  the  New  Constitution. 
We  notice  that  San  Diego  is  in  the  list  of  places  to  be  vis- 
ited by  him.  The  people  of  San  Diego  don 't  want  to  hear 
him.  They  heard  with  patience  Dennis  Kearney's  ignorant 
harangue,  and  that  taste  of  sand  lot  oratory  is  sufficient,  etc. 


THE  CHARTER  OF  1886 


465 


The  new  constitution  went  into  effect  in  January,  1880,  and 
it  was  at  this  time  that  the  old  district  court  went  out  of  exist- 
ence and  was  replaced  by  the  Superior  Court.  The  first  term 
of  the  new  court  was  held  on  January  5,  1880,  by  Judge  McNealy. 

In  May,  1886,  a  new  charter  was  adopted,  which  went  into 
effect  the  next  month,  by  which  the  town  was  organized  as  a 
city  of  the  sixth  class.  A  year  later  it  became  a  city  of  the 
fourth  class.    In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  (1887)  there  was  a 


DOUGLAS   GUNN 

First  Mayor  under  the  charter  of  1889.  Editor  of  the  I  oion.  Historian  and  useful,  devoted 

citizen  for  many  years 


warm  contest  between  the  Citizens'  ticket,  headed  by  D.  C.  Reed, 
and  a  Labor  ticket,  headed  by  W.  J.  Hunsaker.  The  latter  won. 
On  December  5,  1888,  an  election  was  held  for  the  choice  of 
fifteen  freeholders  to  frame  a  new  charter.  Those  selected  were : 
Douglas  Gunn,  H.  T.  Christian,  Edwin  Parker,  Charles  Hubbell, 
W.  A.  Begole,  N.  H.  Conklin,  M.  A.  Luce,  Philip  :\Iorse,  0.  W. 
Jorres,  E.  W.  Morse,  George  M.  Dannalls,  George  B.  Hensley, 
R.  M.  Powers,  D.  Cave,  and  C.  M.  Fenn.  The  charter  framed 
by  these  men  was  adopt(Ml  by  the  people  of  San  Diego  ^Nlarch  2d, 


466 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


and  approved  by  the  legislature  on  March  16,  1889,  and  went 
into  effect  on  the  following  6th  of  May.  This  is  the  charter 
under  which,  with  a  few  amendments,  the  administration  of  the 
city  is  still  carried  on. 

It  provided  for  a  mayor,  for  the  first  time  since  1852  (in  the 
interval,  the  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  was  called  by 
courtesy  the  mayor,  but  there  was  no  such  official,  properly 
speaking).     The  legislative  branch  was  a  common  council,  con- 


WILLIAM   W.    BOWERS 

Located,  1869;  California  Assembly,  1873;  Collector  of  the  Port.   1874-83,  and  again,  1898-06; 

State  Senator,  1887-91;  Member  of  Congress,  1891-97.     He  designed  and  superintended 

building  of  Horton  House  in  1870;  also  designed  Florence  Hotel  (now 

Robinson)  and  managed   it  for  seven  years 


sisting  of  a  board  of  aldermen  elected  at  large,  and  a  board  of 
delegates,  two  of  whom  were  chosen  in  each  ward.  The  other 
officials  provided  for  were :  city  attorney,  auditor  and  assessor, 
treasurer  and  tax  collector,  city  clerk,  city  engineer,  superintend- 
ent of  streets,  superintendent  of  parks,  superintendent  of  sew- 
ers, superintendent  of  schools,  chief  of  police,  chief  of  fire  depart- 
ment, health  officer,  plumbing  inspector,  board  of  public  works, 
board  of  education,  board  of  library  trustees,  board  of  police 


ELECTION  OF  MAYOR  GUNN 


467 


commissioners,  board  of  fire  commissioners,  hoard  of  health, 
police  judge,  and  board  of  cemetery  commissioners.  Amend- 
ments were  adopted  February  3,  1895,  and  January  29,  1901, 
and  on  IMarch  1,  1906,  the  legislative  body  was  changed  to  a 
common  council  of  nine  members,  one  from  each  ward,  the  sep- 
arate boards  of  aldermen  and  delegates  being  abolished.  At 
the  same  time,  provisions  were  inserted  in  the  charter  for  the 
exercise  of  the  initiative,  the  referendum,  and  the  recall — 
regarded  as  important  steps  in  the  improvement  of  the  city 
administration. 


MATHEW   SHERMAN 

Mayor,  1891;  owner  of  Sherman's  Addition  and  prominent  for  many  years    in 

business  and  public  affairs 


The  first  city  election  under  the  present  charter  was  held 
April  2,  1889.  The  campaign  presented  many  features  of  inter- 
est. There  were  two  tickets  in  the  field,  one  called  the  Straight 
Republican,  headed  by  John  R.  Berry,  and  the  other  called  the 
Citizens'  Non-Partisan  ticket,  headed  by  Douglas  Gunn.  Both 
these  candidates  were  Republicans  and  there  was  no  Democratic 
ticket.     The  real  issue  of  the  cam})aign  was  between  "the  Galla- 


468 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


ghers," — carpet baggei-s  from  San  Francisco  who  came  during 
the  boom  and  obtained  control  of  the  Republican  organization 
in  city  and  count}' — and  the  older  citizens  of  San  Diego.  It  was 
charged  that  these  "Gallaghers"  were  for  the  most  part  Demo- 
crats before  coming  to  San  Diego.  They  had  succeeded  in  elect- 
ing a  few  of  their  candidates  the  year  before,  including  the  supe- 
rior judge.  The  Union  supported  Berry,  but  other  papers  were 
for  Gunn,  and  party  lines  were  much  broken  up.      The  Sun 


D.    C.    REED 

Mayor,  1897;  for  thirty  years  in  the  forefront  of  real  estate  activity,  with  unfaltering  faith 

in  the  city's  destiny 


(Democratic)    of   April   4th    commented   on   the    campaign    as 
follows : 


The  campaign  wMch  has  come  to  an  end  was  not  too  short 
to  present  some  interesting  and  remarkable  features.  It  was 
marked  by  the  almost  total  disappearance  of  the  second  great 
party  in  this  city  when  the  presence  of  a  divided  majority  in 
the  field  would  have  given  it  success  had  it  named  a  straight 
ticket  of  its  own.  Such  a  throwing  away  of  political  oppor- 
tunity  is   almost   without   precedent.     .     .     .     Much   of   the   op- 


A.    E.  NUTT 


D.    L.    WITHINGTON 


M.   L.    WARD  L.    A.   WRIGHT 

A  GROUP  OF  STATE   SENATORS 


470 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


position   originated   in    anc'ent   gnidges,   dating   back   to   the    farlv 
dajs,  and  almost  forgotten  by  those  of  the  present  day. 

Senator  W.  W.  Bowers  was  one  of  the  leadtM's  of  the  Repub- 
lican organization,  but  in  this  eampaign  he  wrote  and  spoke  in 
favor  of  the  Citizens'  ticket.  The  city  at  the  time  was  supposed 
to  have  a  normal  Republican  majority  of  from  500  to  800,  ])ut  at 
this  election  Gunn  and  most  of  the  Citizens'  candidates  were 
elected.     Gunn's  majority  was  428. 


FRANK   p.    FRARY 
Mayor,  for  two  terms,  from  1901  to  1905 


Two  ycai-s  later,  in  April,  1891,  the  contest  was  between  the 
rejiidar  party  organizations.  The  Repul)]ican  candidate  for 
mayor  was  Captain  Mathew  Slierman  and  the  Democratic  J.  W. 
Hughes.  There  were  no  particularly  exciting  events  in  the  cam- 
paign and  the  result  seemed  to  hinge  on  the  [)arty  line-ui)  and 
the  num])er  and  zeal  of  the  friends  of  the  respective  candidates. 
Shei-man  was  elected  liy  48  votes,  and  was  the  fii'st  mayor  elected 
on  a  straight  [)arty  ticket. 


CARLSON'S  FAMOUS  VICTORY 


471 


The  election  of  1893  was  a  memorable  one  and  presented  some 
unusual  features.  Both  the  old  parties  made  nominations,  the 
Republicans  naming  Adolph  G.  Gassen  for  mayor  and  the  Dem- 
ocrats A.  E.  Cochran.  There  was  also  a  People's  Party  in  the 
field,  with  John  Kastle  as  its  candidate  for  mayor.  In  addition 
to  these.  Captain  James  Edward  Friend  and  William  H.  Carl- 
son were  independent  candidates  for  mayor,  making  in  all  five 
aspirants  for  one  office. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN   L.    SEHON 
Chosen  Mayor  in  1905  by  Democratic  and  Independent  coalition 


The  three  regular  party  nominees  were  substantial  citizens  in 
good  standing.  Gassen  was  one  of  the  oldest  residents  and  had 
held  a  number  of  city  offices.  Colonel  Kastle  was  also  an  old 
resident  and  business  man,  and  had  been  president  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  Friend  was  a  clever  newspaper  writer,  with 
many  friends,  and  Cochran  was  well  supported  by  his  party's 
strength.  But  when  the  votes  were  counted,  it  was  found  that 
Carlson,  a  comparative  newcomer  and  novice  in  the  city's  pol- 
itics, had  twice  as  manv  votes  as  anv  other  candidate. 


472 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


The  time  has  not  vet  come  to  write  the  story  of  the  career 
of  "Bilh'"  Carlson  in  San  Diego.  He  is  now  conducting  a  pros- 
perous real  estate  and  banking  business  in  Los  Angeles,  and  if 
he  ever  finds  time,  ought  to  write  the  storv,  himself.  Although 
he  entered  the  race  for  mayor  last,  he  won  out  handsomely  by 
dint  of  hard  personal  work  and  promises.  If  there  was  a  voter 
in  San  Diego  whom  he  did  not  personally  interview,  or  a  man 
Avho  wanted  anything  that  he  did  not  promise  to  secure  for  him, 
neither  have  since  come  to  light.  As  soon  as  "Billy"  got  into 
the  mayor's  chair,  there  were  to  be  new  electric  car  lines  on 


JOHN   F.    FORWARD 

Who  served  in  the  recorder's  office  for  nearly  twenty  years,   during  fourteen  of  which   he 
held  the  chief  place.     Chosen  in  April,  1907,  to  serve  as  Mayor  until  May  1,  1909 


every  street  equipped  in  an  impossible  manner,  hotels  fitted  up 
a  la  Edward  Bellamy,  lines  of  steamships  to  every  port  on  earth, 
transcontinental  railroads  galore,  the  park  was  to  be  improved 
at  once,  everybody  was  to  have  plenty  of  work  at  the  highest 
wages,  and,  in  short,  the  millennium  was  to  come  then  and  there. 
That  he  did  not  achieve  all  these  things  in  his  two  terms  is,  per- 
haps, not  due  to  any  want  of  imagination  on  his  part.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  quite  a  number  of  ordinarily  level-headed  peo- 


ARCHIE   F.    CROWELL 
City  Engineer 


CLAUDE   WOOLMAN 
City  Treasurer 


CHARLES   KELLY 

Councilman 


F.    J.    GOLDKAMP 

Councilman 


m 


A  GROUP  OF  CITY  OFFICIALS 


474 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


pie  were  so  much  amused  by  his  meteoric  canvass  that  they  voted 
for  him  "just  to  see  what  he  would  do." 

The  candidacy  of  Captain  Friend  deserves  mention.  There 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  considerable  popular  demand 
that  he  should  run,  but  with  a  happy-go-lucky  optimism  which 
was  part  of  his  nature,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  running  inde- 
pendently. Everybody  he  asked  signed  his  petition,  on  which 
there  were  about  1,100  names,  but  he  received  just  98  votes.  He 
thereupon  proceeded  to  write  a  book,  containing  an  allegorical 
account  of  his  campaign  experiences,  and  called  it  1,000  Liars, 
implying  that  that  number  of  his  friends  had  promised  to  vote 


EUGENE   E.    SHAFFER 
County  Auditor  for  eighteen  years;  a  leader  in  all  movements  for  civic  advancement 


for  him  and  failed  to  do  so.  In  this  book  the  characters  are  real, 
but  masquerade  under  fictitious  names.  His  own  identity  is  con- 
cealed under  the  name  of  Captain  James  Edward  Bings.  The 
book  is  amusing  and  full  of  a  cheerful  philosophy;  it  is  now 
out  of  print  and  quite  scarce.  Its  dedication  was  "To  the  im- 
mortal ninety-eight"  who  had  voted  for  him. 

The  election  of  1895  resulted  in  the  re-election  of  Mayor  Carl- 
son,  running  independently.       The   opposing  candidates  were: 


JOHN^H.    FERRY 
Recorder 


LEWIS   R.    KIRBY 

District  Attorney 


M.    M.    MOULTON 
Assessor 


W.    H.    FRANCIS 
Clerk 


A  GROUP  OF  COUNTY  OFFICIALS 


476  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

W.  A.  Sloane,  Republican;  Charles  S.  Hamilton,  Democratic; 
and  Daniel  Stone,  People's  Party.  The  Union  of  April  3d  made 
the  following  comments  on  the  result : 

The  total  vote  polled  yesterday,  3297,  shows  better  than 
words  how  hotly  the  battle  was  fought,  yet  in  spite  of  the 
many  conflicting  factions  there  was  no  special  outward  excite- 
ment, and  at  many  of  the  polling  places  there  were  no  hangers- 
on.  The  total  vote  of  the  city  last  November  was  3327,  while 
this  year  's  vote  on  the  municipal  election  only  is  but  30  behind. 
All  sorts  of  reports  were  current  as  to  what  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, and  bets  were  made  on  all  subjects;  but  nothing  was 
more  clear  than  that  everybody  was  at  sea  as  to  the  result. 
The  strength  of  the  A.  P.  A.  vote,  the  meteoric  quality  of  the 
Carlson  element,  the  water  question,  the  civic  federation  move- 
ment, and  personal  considerations  were  some  of  the  disturbing 
factors,  and  these  left  their  mark  on  the  result.  Not  any  single 
party  element  can  claim  the  victory  and  none  is  left  entirely 
without  something  to   show  for  its  work. 

In  1897,  C.  F.  Holland  was  the  Democratic  and  Non-Partisan 
choice  for  mayor,  and  D.  C.  Reed  was  the  Republican  candidate. 
The  Union,  however,  which  had  heretofore  supported  the  regular 
Repulilican  nominees,  refused  to  support  Reed,  giving  as  a  rea- 
son his  affiliation  w^th  the  Municipal  Ownership  Club,  which,  it 
alleged,  was  backed  by  the  San  Diego  Flume  Company.  The 
Union  also  opposed  Mr.  Holland,  alleging  that  he  was  the  orig- 
inal choice  of  the  Flume  Company  and  that  the  Non-Partisan 
organization  was  an  outgrowth  of  the  Municipal  Ownership  Club. 
It  therefore  gave  its  support  to  Major  Henry  Sweeney,  an  inde- 
pendent candidate.  Carlson  ran  again  and  there  was  also  a  Pop- 
ulist ticket,  headed  by  A.  C.  Mouser.  In  the  result,  Reed  came 
in  first,  Holland  second,  and  Carlson  third.  Mouser  and  Sweeney 
each  received  a  few  votes,  also  George  D.  Copeland. 

An  interesting  question  was  raised  in  this  campaign  as  to  the 
eligibility  of  Major  Sweeney,  who  was  a  retired  army  officer.  It 
was  claimed  that  for  this  reason  he  was  ineligible,  but  the  Union 
disputed  this,  alleging  that  the  question  had  been  raised  and  set- 
tled in  other  cases,  and  that  there  was  no  bar  to  his  holding  the 
office,  if  elected. 

In  the  election  of  1899,  the  question  of  municipal  ownership 
of  the  water  system  cut  considerable  figure.  The  candidates  for 
mayor  were :  D.  C.  Reed,  Republican ;  Edwin  M.  Capps,  Demo- 
cratic ;  and  John  A.  Helphingstine,  Socialist  Labor  party.  The 
battle  was  really  between  the  Flume  Company  and  the  South- 
ern California  Mountain  "Water  Company.  According  to  the 
Union,  the  Flume  Company  was  doing  its  best  to  thwart  the 
work  of  Babcock's  company  by  lawsuits,  etc.,  and  was  now  try- 
ing to  put  into  the  mayor's  chair  a  man  known  to  be  violently 


FRARY'S  TWO  ELECTIONS 


477 


opposed  to  Babcock.  Capps  was  city  engineer  at  the  time  of 
his  nomination  and  had  repeatedly  rejected  portions  of  the  work 
of  the  Moreno  system.  The  Mountain  Water  Company  pre- 
ferred Reed,  who  was  not  unfriendly  to  them,  to  Capps.  Capps 
was  elected  by  221  votes  over  Reed,  and  Helphingstine  received 
70  votes. 

In   1901   the  contest   was   between   Frank  P.    Frary,   Repub- 
lican, Patterson  Sprigg,  Democrat,  and  Frank  Simpson,  Social- 


CHARLES  S.  HARDY 

Who  ranks  among  the  foremost  merchants,  and   who   created   the  most  powerful  political 
organization  in  the  city's   history.     Characterized  as   "Boss"   by  his  opponents, 
recognized  as  leader  by  his  followers,  his  supremacy  on  the  hard- 
fought  field  of  politics  is  unquestioned  by  either 


ist.     Frary  was  elected ;  the  vote  :    Frary,  1,674 ;  Sprigg,  1,000 ; 
Simpson,  157. 

In  1903,  Mayor  Frary  was  renominated  by  the  Republicans,. 
James  E.  Wadham  was  the  Democratic  candidate,  and  Frank 
Simpson  the  nominee  of  the  Socialists.  The  Democrats  adopted 
a  platform  which  contained  some  advanced  ideas,  particularly 
in  relation  to  public  ownership  of  gas  and  electricity  and  the 
development   of   the    pueblo   lands   with    a   view    to    producing 


478  •         HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

income  and  thereby  providing  for  "progress  without  taxation." 
The  large  Republican  majority  was  not  entirely  overcome,  but 
was  materially  decreased,  the  vote  being  as  follows : 

Frary,  1,469;  Wadham,  1,312;  Simpson,  219. 

The  election  of  1905  marked  the  rise  of  the  "anti-boss"  spirit 
in  the  Republican  party  and  emphasized  the  demand  for  an 
extension  of  the  principle  of  public  ownership  in  relation  to  the 
water  supply.  Captain  John  L.  Sehon,  a  retired  army  officer, 
had  become  a  conspicuous  leader  of  the  reform  element  by  his 
independent  course  as  a  member  of  the  council,  and  was  gen- 
erally regarded  as  the  logical  candidate  of  those  opposed  to  the 
Republican  organization.  Nominated  by  the  Independents  and 
endorsed  by  the  Democrats,  he  made  a  vigorous  campaign,  which 
aroused  an  equally  vigorous  opposition  by  the  Republicans,  who 
selected  Danville  F.  Jones  as  their  candidate  for  mayor.  The 
Socialists  nominated  W.  J.  Kirkwood. 

The  Jones-Sehon  campaign  was  marked  by  one  incident  of 
peculiar  interest.  This  was  the  controversy  over  the  eligibility 
of  a  retired  army  officer  for  civil  office.  The  case  was  elaborately 
argued  in  the  newspapers  by  prominent  lawyers,  who  were  about 
equally  divided  on  the  legal  question  involved.  Captain  Sehon 
was  elected  1)y  a  decisive  majority,  but  his  friends  believed  an 
effort  would  be  made  to  prevent  him  from  taking  oIKce.  The 
event  proved  that  they  were  not  mistaken,  as  proceedings  were 
instituted  in  the  superior  court.  The  mayor-elect  disappeared 
from  the  city  and  could  not  be  found  by  the  officers  who  wanted 
to  serve  papers  in  the  suit.  He  returned  just  before  midnight 
in  the  last  moments  of  Mayor  Frary 's  expiring  term,  and,  at 
the  first  minute  of  the  term  to  which  he  had  been  elected,  entered 
the  city  hall,  took  forcible  possession  of  the  executive  ofSces, 
and  proclaimed  himself  mayor  of  San  Diego. 

The  city  awakened  the  next  morning  to  learn  that  the  man 
whom  it  had  chosen  as  chief  executive  was  in  full  possession  of 
the  municipal  government  and  that  nothing  but  ouster  proceed- 
ings could  now  defeat  the  popular  will.  The  ease  was  bitterly 
fought  through  all  the  courts.  The  superior  court  decided 
against  the  mayor,  but  was  overruled  by  the  court  of  appeals. 
The  supreme  court  of  California  sustained  the  court  of  appeals, 
so  that  Mayor  Sehon  remained  in  peaceful  possession  and  pro- 
ceeded to  give  the  city  what  is  generally  regarded  as  the  most 
notable  administration  in  its  history.  The  mayor's  conduct  at 
the  time  of  the  Bennington  disaster  and  the  San  Francisco  catas- 
trophe won  the  approval  of  his  bitterest  opponents,  while  his 
management  of  public  affairs  was  heartily  commended  at  the 
end  of  the  first  year  of  his  administration  by  the  newspaper 
which  had  most  earnestlv  opposed  his  election. 

The  vote  :     Sehon,  2,018  ;  Jones,  1,376  ,-  Kirkwood.  483. 


CHAPTER  III 
LATER  JOURNALISM  AND  LITERATURE 

ROM  1860  to  1868,  San  Diego  was  without  a 
newspaper  or  other  periodical  of  any  kind. 

FZyi  The  laying  out  of  Horton's  new  addition  and 
jAVj  the  fear  that  the  population  might  be  attracted 
\5  /  that  way  caused  the  people  of  Old  Town  to 
bestir  themselves.  In  the  spring  of  1868 
Philip  Crosthwaite  paid  a  visit  to  his  sister, 
Mrs.  Wm.  Jetf  Gatewood,  at  San  Andreas,  in 
Calaveras  County.  Colonel  Gatewood  w^as  publishing  the  San 
Andreas  Register,  and  the  desire  to  have  his  sister  near  him  and 
at  the  same  time  to  do  something  for  Old  Town  prompted  Cros- 
thwaite to  propose  that  he  should  remove  his  newspaper  plant 
to  San  Diego.  The  proposal  interested  Gatewood  so  much  that 
he  came  to  San  Diego  and  investigated  the  conditions.  He  found 
the  San  Diegans  responsive  to  his  desires ;  they  gave  him  sub- 
scriptions and  advertising  contracts  which  he  felt  would  justify 
the  venture;  and,  liking  the  place,  he  determined  to  make  the 
change. 

Returning  to  San  Andreas,  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Edward  W.  Bushyhead,  who  had  been  his  foreman,  and  also 
employed  J.  N.  Brisefio.  When  the  paper  was  issued,  however, 
Briseiio's  name  appeared  as  publisher  and  Bushyhead 's  did  not 
appear  at  all,  because  Bushyhead,  upon  his  arrival,  was  not 
impressed  with  the  town  or  the  prospects  of  the  new  ven- 
ture and  was  unwilling  to  have  his  appear;  but  the  paper 
was  really  owned  by  Gatewood  and  Bushyhead,  and  Brisefio 
was  only  an  office  boy.  Gatewood  came  on  to  San  Diego  over- 
land, leaving  Bushyhead  to  pack  up  and  ship  the  outfit  and  fol- 
low by  steamer.  The  outfit  arrived  about  the  19th  day  of  Sep- 
tember and  quarters  were  found  in  a  frame  building  belong- 
ing to  Jose  A.  Altamirano,  next  door  to  the  parsonage,  at  Old 
Town.  There  was  an  old  Washington  hand  press  and  a  very 
good  assortment  of  type.  By  the  3rd  of  October  they  were  suf- 
ficiently settled  to  be  able  to  issue  a  prospectus.  A  copy  of  this 
interesting  paper  follows : 

To  the  Public: 

On   Saturday  next  I  will  issue  the  first  number  of   The  San 
Dieffo  Union.     Those  who  wish  to  advertise  will  confer  a  favor 


480  HISTORY   OF  SAN    DIEGO 

upon  me  by  sending  in  their  advertisements  as  early  next  week 
as  possible.  In  order  to  insure  an  insertion  on  the  first  page 
of  the  paper,  the  copy  must  be  handed  into  the  office  by  next 
Tuesday  night.  I  presume  that  the  business  men  of  San  Diego 
appreciate '  the  advantages  of  advertising,  and  will  therefore 
accept  with  avidity  the  opportunity  now  offered  them. 

I  will  be  thankful  for  any  local  item  of  general  or  special 
importance,  and  particularly  request  to  be  furnished  with 
names  of  vessels  arriving  and  departing  from  our  harbor,  and 
with  all  matters  of  importance  to  shippers. 

From  those  who  purpose  farming  I  will  be  pleased  to  learn 
the  character  of  crop  they  intend  planting  and  the  prob- 
able quantity  of  acres  they  will  cultivate.  I  respectfully  in- 
vite from  all  branches  of  business  such  communications  as 
will  tend  to  advance  the  multifarious  interests  of  San  Diego 
county,  and  promote  the  general  prosperity  of  our  citizens. 

Neither  political  tirades,  nor  personal  abuse  will  find  place 
in  the  columns  of  the  Uiiion.  As  my  object — and  such  is  my 
agreement  with  my  patrons — is  to  publish  to  the  world  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  harbor,  climate  and  soil  of  this  vicinity,  I 
hope  that  no  imposition,  exaggeration  or  prevarication  will  ever 
be  tolerated  by  those  who  may  afford  local  information  to  the 
Union.  In  my  humble  judgment  they  need  no  such  subter- 
fuges; but  the  plain,  unvarnished  truth  of  our  harbor,  climate 
and  soil  is  all  that  need  be  told,  to  insure  the  wonder  and 
win  the  admiration  of  the  world. 

As  the  Union  is  to  be  politically  neutral,  I  know  of  no  way 
by  which  I  can  prevent  the  expression  of  my  political  predi- 
lections except  by  steering  entirely  clear  of  politics,  therefore, 
the  Union  will  maintain  politically  a  wise  and  masterly  silence. 

For  the  many  favors  I  have  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
citizens  of  San  Diego  I  return  my  sincere  heartfelt  thanks, 
and  only  bespeak  of  them  the  same  kindness,  courtesy  and  con- 
sideration for  my  little  pet,  to  be  born  on  next  Saturday. 

Wm.  Jeff    Gatewood. 

The  first  number  of  the  Union  came  out,  as  announced,  on 
October  10,  1868.  It  was  a  four-page  6-column  quarto  sheet, 
contained  15i/i>  columns  of  reading  matter,  and  was  well  set  up 
and  printed.  In  his  salutatory.  Colonel  Gatewood  said  of  his 
paper : 

Its  influenf-e  shall  be  used  in  urging  the  people  to  lay  aside 
the  animosities  engendered  within  the  last  few  years,  and  so 
sedulously  fostered  by  the  selfish  political  aspirants  of  the 
present  day — to  foster  and  encourage  fealty  to  our  political 
institutions — obedience  to  the  laws  of  the  country,  and  charity 
towards  all  mankind.  .  .  .  We  .  .  .  pray  that  our  lives 
may  be  spared  to  see  the  waters  of  our  bay  fretting  beneath 
the  burdens  of  busy  commerce — to  hear  the  shrill  whistle  of 
the  iron  horse  as  it  spurns  the  sand  of  the  desert- — toils  over 
the  mountains  and  shoots  through  the  valleys  in  its  flight  from 
the  Atlantic,  to  meet  in  our  harbor  the  rich  cargoes  from  the 
ancient  Orient — to  see  our  bay  surrounded  by  mammoth  manu- 
facturing   and    mercantile    houses,    princely    residences,    domes 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE 


481 


and  spires  of  churches  and  schools  of  learning — the  streets 
teeming  with  a  prosperous  and  industrious  people,  and  our 
lovely  valleys  lifting  to  our  genial  skies  flowers  and  fruits,  in 
tints  as   varied   and   gorgeous   as-  our  incomparable   sunsets. 

lu  the  first  two  years  of  its  existence,  the  Union  had  a  hard 
struggle.  The  snl)scription  list  was  nearly  a  thousand,  which 
was  very  good  for  the  time,  but  the  advertising  patronage  was 
entirely  local  and  not  very  remunerative.  In  May,  1869,  Gate- 
wood  sold  out  to  Charles  P.  Taggart.  and  the  stjde  of  the  pub- 


WM.    JEFF   GATEWOOD 
Founder  of  the  I'nion  and  a  notable  lawyer  in  the  early  days  of  the  Horton  period 


lishers  became  Taggart  &  Bushyhead.    Mr.  Bushyhead  says  that 
the  prosperity  of  the  paper  dates  from  the  time  that  Taggart 
came  into  the  establishment.     He  was  a 
in  advertising  and  subscriptions  which 

the  first  time,  in  a  fairly  prosperous  condition.  But  Taggart 
had  other  interests  which  shared  his  attention,  and  he  soon 
dropped  the  Union.  He  sold  out  to  Frederick  A.  Taylor,  late 
of  San  Francisco,  who  took  charge  on  January  1,  1870.     At  the 


"rustler"  and  brought 
placed  the  paper,  for 


482 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


time,  it  was  stated  that  the  Union  was  prosperous,  and  this  is 
attested  by  the  fact  that  on  the  20th  day  of  January  it  was 
enlarged  to  seven  columns.  Another  change  was  announced  on 
May  12th,  when  William  S.  Dodge  succeeded  to  Taylor's  inter- 
est, and  the  firm  became  Dodge  &  Bushyhead. 

By  this  time,  Horton's  Addition  was  making  considerable 
progress  and  had  begun  to  threaten  the  supremacy  of  the  old 
town.  The  Bulletin  had  been  started  there  the  preceding  Aug- 
ust, and  w^as  enjoying  a  large  share  of  the  new  prosperity — a 
prosperity  from  which  the  Union  was  excluded  by  reason  of  its 
location.  Gate  wood  had  been  the  attorney  for  the  people  of  Old 
Town  in  the  contest  over  the  removal  of  the  county  seat,  and 


J.    N.    BRISENO 

Who  was  employed  by  Gatewood  and  whose  name  appeared  as  the  first  publisher 

of  the  I'nion 


the  Union  had  supported  their  side  of  that  contention.  But  the 
proprietors  concluded  the  fight  was  a  losing  one,  and,  in  the 
midst  of  the  fray,  abandoned  the  old  town  and  removed  to  the 
new.  One  of  the  inducements  for  this  change  was  an  agree- 
ment on  the  part  of  Mr.  Horton  to  give  the  paper  his  exclusive 
advertising  patronage,  so  long  as  it  remained  in  its  new  loca- 
tion and  helped  to  build  up  that  part  of  the  town.  This  was 
one  of  the  severest  blows  the  friends  of  Old  Town  suffered, 
although  it  cannot  be  said  that  it  influenced  the  final  result,  as- 
the  question  was  already  in  the  courts  awaiting  decision. 

The  Union  announced  its  intention  to  move,  on  June  23,  1870, 
and  the  following  number,  June  30th,  was  the  first  one  issued 


CHANGING  EDITORSHIP 


483 


in  Horton's  Addition.  The  new  office  was  in  a  building  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  D  Streets.  That  k)cation  was 
then  thought  to  be  quite  out  of  town,  the  only  other  buildings 
in  the  neighborhood  being  the  little  Methodist  church  across  the 
street,  and  the  "Era  House,"  later  called  the  "Occidental." 
The  foundations  of  the  Ilorton  House  were  then  being  laid. 

On  September  22,  1870,  Dodge  retired  from  the  Union  and 
was  succeeded  by  Douglas  Gunn.    Gunn  had  been  employed  for 


EDWARD   W.    BUSHYHEAD 
One  of  the  early  proprietors  of  the  Union,  who  also  served  as  sheriff  and  chief  of  police 


some  time  on  the  paper  as  reporter  and  printer.  He  was  a  man 
of  ability,  enterprise,  and  courage,  and  the  effects  of  his  work 
were  soon  manifest.  On  December  8th  following  his  assumption 
of  the  editorship,  the  Union  published  President  Grant's  mes- 
sage in  full,  having  received  it  by  telegraph,  and  called  it  "a 
piece  of  newspaper  enterprise  never  before  attempted  by  any 
'country  paper'  in  the  United  States."  The  like  had  certainly 
never  before  been  done  in  San  Diego.  On  March  20,  1871,  the 
Daily  Union,  the  first  daily  paper  in  San  Diego,  was  issued.  At 
that  time  only  two  daily  papers  were  published  in  Southern  Cal- 


484  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

ifornia;  these  being  the  News  and  the  Star,  of  Los  Angeles,  and 
the  Union  was  the  third.  Ten  days  later,  the  weekly  was 
enlarged  to  eight  columns,  and  became  the  largest  weekly  paper 
south  of  San  Francisco.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  following^ 
April,  John  P.  Young  (now  editor  of  the  San  Francisco  Chron- 
icle) was  employed  as  business  manager. 

Those  were  strenuous  days  for  Bushyhead  &  Gunn.  A  com- 
petent writer  says:  "We  do  not  believe  that  two  men  ever  did 
more  intensely  hard  w^ork,  for  smaller  compensation,  than  the 
publishers  of  the  Union.  The  first  year  of  its  existence  it  [the 
daily]  spent  about  $1,200  for  telegraphic  news,  the  next  year 
about  $2,000,"  etc.  Mr.  Bushyhead  does  not  recall  that,  as  a 
whole,  they  were  poorly  paid ;  he  relates  that  he  and  ]\Ir.  Gunn 
M'ere  able  to  put  away  $1,500  each  in  bank  every  month  at  that 
period.  The  partnership  of  Bushyhead  &  Gunn  lasted  nearly 
three  of  the  busiest  and  most  fruitful  years  of  the  life  of  the 
new  town.  Circumstances  induced  the  former  to  retire  in  June, 
1873.  He  received  $5,000  in  cash  for  his  half  interest,  and  Mr. 
Gunn  became  sole  proprietor.  A  month  later,  the  daily  was. 
enlarged  to  twice  its  former  size.  These  were  in  the  palmy  days 
of  San  Diego's  first  boom — the  "Tom  Scott  boom" — and  the 
collapse  of  that  excitement,  naturally  enough,  hit  the  paper 
hard.  The  circulation  of  the  daily  continued  to  grow,  but  its 
advertising  patronage  declined  and  for  a  few  years  its  struggle 
was  a  hard  one.  In  1877,  Mr.  Gunn  stated  that  for  four  years, 
he  alone  had  performed  the  entire  editorial  work,  local  report- 
ing, and  news  editing.  It  was  one  of  his  gifts  to  he  able  to 
write  rapidly,  clearly,  and  under  pressure.  Probably  few  men 
could  have  stood  the  strain  under  which  he  labored. 

By  the  year  1878,  conditions  had  so  far  improved  that  the 
Union  began  to  benefit  by  the  reaction.  On  the  first  day  of 
June,  the  office  was  removed  to  Sixth  Street,  one  door  below 
where  the  postoffice  was  then  located.  Several  quiet  but  fairly 
prosperous  yeai-s  followed,  and  in  July,  1881,  the  paper  was 
again  enlarged  and  the  first  steam  printing  press  in  San  Diego 
set  up  for  its  use.  Five  years  later,  it  was  again  enlarged.  On 
August  3,  1886,  Mr.  Gunn  retired  and  the  paper  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  San  Diego  Union  Company.  The  manager  of" 
this  company  was  Colonel  -John  E.  Berry,  and  his  associates  were 
"William  Collier,  now  living  at  Rivereide,  and  J.  Russell  Smith. 
Colonel  Berry  had  been  city  editor  of  the  Union  about  two  years,, 
and  now  assumed  editorial  charge  of  the  paper. 

Mr.  Gunn  retired  to  devote  himself  to  his  lousiness  interests. 
Under  his  editorial  management  of  almost  sixteen  years  the 
paper  had  grown  up  with  the  town  and  had  played  an  impor- 
tant and  vital  part  in  its  development.     Soon  after,  he  built  the- 


A  NEWSPAPER  MERGER 


485 


Express  Block,  and  in  1889  was  chosen  and  served  as  the  first 
mayor  of  San  Dieiio  under  its  new  charter. 

Three  or  four  months  after  the  new  company  took  charge, 
Hosmer  P.  McKoon  acquired  an  interest,  and,  a  little  while 
after  that,  Bryant  Howard  and  E.  W.  Morse  came  in.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1888,  there  was  a  white  paper  famine  which  now  seems 
amusing.  The  Union  appeared  for  a  time  printed  on  paper  of 
many  colors,  dirty  white,  terra  cotta,  and  bright  pink.  In  the 
following  May,  cards  were  issued  inviting  the  friends  of  the 
paper  to  call  and  witness  the  operation  of  its  new  double- 
cylinder  Hoe  printing  press  and  feeders.     Whole  page  descrip- 


OFFICE   OF   THE    IXIOX 

At  Sixth  and  F  Streets  in  the  '70's 


tions  were  given,  with  large  cuts  of  the  new  press.  In  June, 
1888,  John  C.  Monteith  became  owner  of  part  of  the  stock  and 
assumed  the  business  management  of  the  paper.  In  the  fall, 
Howard  M.  Kutchin  became  business  manager  and  a  few  months 
later  editor,  and  so  continued  till  June,  1889.  In  December  of 
the  year  1888  the  Union  company  purchased  the  Daily  Bee 
from  Harry  A.  Howard,  Thomas  Fitch,  and  their  associates, 
and  merged  the  two  papers  under  the  title  of  the  San  Diego 
Union  anel  Daily  Bee.  In  the  following  year,  Berry  parted  with 
his  interest  in  the  paper  to  the  ^Monteiths.     Berry  went  to  Ohio 


486 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


and  was  gone  a  few  months  and  upon  his  return  took  charge  of 
the  paper  again  in  association  with  Andrew  Pollock. 

In  1890  Colonel  Berry  was  appointed  collector  of  the  port, 
and  soon  after  his  appointment  sold  out  to  the  Messrs.  John  D, 
and  Adolph  B.  Spreckels,  who  were  then  represented  here  by 
E.  S.  Babcock;  and  these  gentlemen  have  ever  since  been  the 
owners  and  publishers  of  the  Union.  August  1,  1890,  Thomas 
Gardiner,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Sacramento  Union  and  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Times,  was  appointed  manager  of  the  paper, 


JOHN   R.    BERRY 

Who  served  at  different  times  as  editor  of  the   Inioo  and  who  was  colonel  of  the  Seventh 
Regiment,  National  Guard,  during  the  Spanish  War 


and  served  in  that  capacity  until  his  death  nine  years  later.  On 
June  19,  1899,  James  MacMullen  became  general  manager  of  the 
Union  Company,  and  is  still  its  manager.  March  8,  1900,  the 
Union  purchased  the  plant  of  the  Morning  Call  (formerly  the 
Vidette),  and  on  September  27,  1901,  it  became  the  owner  of 
the  Evening  Tribune,  which  had  been  established  since  Decem- 
ber 21,  1895.  The  publication  of  the  latter  has  been  continued. 
It  is  one  of  the  two  evening  papers  now  published  in  the  city. 


THE  SPRECKELS  BUILDING 


487 


On  the  30th  of  November,  1901,  the  editorial,  press,  and  busi- 
ness rooms  of  the  papers  were  removed  to  the  old  Horton  bank 
building,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Third  and  D  Streets,  which 
has  since  been  known  as  the  Union  building.  Spreckels  Broth- 
ers recently  purchased  land  adjoining  this  building  on  the 
south  and  west,  tore  down  the  old  building,  and  erected  in  its 
place  a  large,  modern  six-story  business  block,  which  will  pro- 
vide  for  the   Union  company   better   quarters   than   any   other 


JAMES   MACMULLEN 

General  Manager  of  the   Union 
and  Tribune 


EDMUND   F.    PARMELEE 

Advertising  Manager  of  the  In  ion, 
who  has  been  longer  in  continuous  service 
than  any  other  member  of  the  newspaper 
corps. 


newspaper  south  of  San  Francisco.  The  papers  have  also  been 
provided  with  new  presses  and  up-to-date  facilities  in  every 
department. 

James  MacMullen  is  now  general  manager  of  the  Union  and 
Tribune.  George  S.  Bates  is  editor  of  the  Union,  as  he  has 
been  for  manv  vears.  AValter  T.  Blake  is  editor  of  the  Tri- 
hune.  Edmund  F.  Parmelee  has  been  advertising  manager  of 
the  Union  since  January  1,  1888,  a  longer  continuous  service 
than  any  other  man  in  San  Diego  in  a  similar  position.  He  is 
thus  dean  of  the  newspaper  corps. 


488 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


These  two  papers  support  the  regular  Republican  organiza- 
tion. They  have  been  developed  into  valuable  and  influential 
properties  with  the  growth  of  the  city,  and  afford  their  patrons 
a  live  and  satisfactory  service.  The  Union  has  a  complete  file 
of  its  issues,  from  the  beginning,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation 
- — a  mine  of  inexhaustible  interest  and  value  to  the  historian 
and  writer. 

The  pioneer  editor  and  publisher  of  Horton's  Addition  was 
William  H.  Gould,  who  begaii  the  ])ublication  of  the  San  Diego 
Weekly  Bulletin  on  August  21,  1869.  It  was  a  four-page  six- 
column  paper.     In  this  first  number  ]Mr.  Gould  expressed  the 


WILLIAM    H.    GOULD 
The  pioneer  editor  and  publisher  of  Horton's  Addition 


opinion  that:  "There  is  nowhere  on  the  globe  a  finer  field  for 
newspaper  enterprise  and  the  exercise  of  newspaper  power  than 
exists  today  in  our  young  and  growing  city  of  San  Diego." 

The  paper  was  enlarged  to  seven  columns  in  December,  and  in 
the  following  June  Major  Ben  C.  Truman  purchased  a  half 
interest  and  became  editor  and  business  manager.  In  July, 
1871,  W.  H.  Ogden  became  editor,  Truman  remaining  as  busi- 
ness manager.  At  the  end  of  that  year  Major  Truman's  con- 
nection with  the  paper  ceased."  On  February  13,  1872,  the  first 
number  of  the  Daily  Bulletin  appeared.  It  was  a  small  sheet 
of  five  colunms  and  four  pages.  In  the  following  month  W.  W. 
Bowers  became  the  business  manager  and  D.  T.  Phillips  became 
editor  of  the  Bulletin  in  June.     The  paper  was  soon  after  sold 


RUSH  TO  HORTON'S  TOWN 


489 


to  Colonel  Gatewood,  wlio  took  over  the  entire  plant  and  began 
issuing  a  new  paper,  called  the  World.  The  last  number  of  the 
weekly  Bulletin  was  July  13th,  and  of  the  daily,  July  23,  1872. 
The  Bulletin  was  established  by  the  friends  of  New  San  Diego 
to  counterbalance  the  influence  of  the  Union  at  the  rival  town. 
The  JJnion  "coppered"  this  move,  however,  by  removing  to  Hor- 
ton's  Addition,  and,  having  secured  Mr.  Hortnn's  exclusive  pat- 
ronage, the  Bulletin  proved  unprofitable  and  soon  languished. 
It  began  as  a  Union  Republican  paper,  but  a  year  later  became 


-■?-^:-_ 

'■\^ 

^m 

m 

MAJOR   BEN.    C.    TRUMAN  JOSEPH   D.    LYNCH 

Two  journalists  identified  with  San  Diego  in  early  Horton  days  and  during  the  great  boom 


straight  Republican  and  continued  so.  There  is  a  complete  file 
of  this  paper  in  the  public  library,  presented  to  it  by  Mr.  Daniel 
Cleveland. 

Will  H.  Gould  left  San  Diego  in  1874  and  had  a  checkered 
career  afterward.  He  established  papers  at  San  Bernardino, 
Los  Angeles,  and  other  places,  none  of  which  lived  long,  and 
was  connected  with  the  San  Diego  Bee  in  1887-88. 

The  first  number  of  the  Daily  World  was  issued  July  25,  1872, 
and  the  weekly  two  davs  later.     The  daily  was  a  small  quarto 


490 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


sheet,  with  four  pages  of  five  columns  each,  and  the  weelcly  was 
a  large  four-page  sheet  of  seven  columns.  There  were  elements 
of  fitness  in  Colonel  Gatewood's  being  its  editor  and  proprietor. 
The  paper  which  he  had  founded  (the  Union)  was  now  a  Repub- 
lican organ,  while  he  was  a  Democrat;  and  many  people  thought 
that  the  time  was  ripe  for  an  opposition  paper.  J.  N.  Briseiio, 
an  old  employe  of  Gatewood  on  the  Union,  acquired  an  interest, 
in  August.     In  October,  the  daily  was  enlarged  to  four  full-size 


JACOB   M.   JULIAN 

Associated  with  N.  H.  Conklin  as  editor  and  proprietor  of  the   San   DiegO    World  in  1874; 

later,  editor  of  the  Dailv  \e\VS 


quarto  pages  of  six  columns  each,  and  in  December  the  office 
was  removed  to  the  south  side  of  D  Street,  between  Second  and 
Third,  in  what  was  formerly  called  the  Stockton  House. 

Joseph  D.  Lynch  succeeded  Gatewood  as  editor,  and,  in  the 
fall  of  1874,  the  paper  was  acquired  by  Jacob  M.  Julian  and 
N.  H.  Conklin.  Both  were  newcomers,  from  Warrensburg,  Mis- 
souri, where  they  had  been  associated  in  the  publication  of  a 
weekly  paper.  They  continued  to  publish  the  World  a  year  or 
two  and  then  it  was  merged  with  the  News,  published  by  Julian 
&  Co. 


«,HA^.  \V.   UESTING 

President  State  Board  of  Harbor  Com- 
missioners. 


M.  A.  GRAHAM 
President  Board  of  Public  Works. 


DR.  D.  B.  NORTHRUP 

County  Physician. 


HOWARD   M.  CHERRY 
County  Auditor. 


New  home  of  the  San  Dieoro  Sun  Publishing  Company,  Seventh  and  B  Streets,  one  of 
the  most  complete  newspaper  buildings  in  the  United  States. 


HORACE   E.  RHOADS 

Vice-President  and  Business  Manager  of  the  San  Diego  Sun  Publishing  Company  since 
November,  1906. 


FOUNDING  OF  "THE  SUN"  491 

Mr.  ,Jiilian  began  the  piiblioation  of  the  San  Diego  Daily 
News  in  1875,  and  continued  it  until  April  9,  1882,  when  it 
was  purchased,  by  the  Sun  company. 

The  Sun  first  appeared  on  July  "l9,  1881.  Mrs.  Cliarles  P. 
Tag'gart  originated  the  entei'prise.  Horace  Stevens,  Fred  C 
Bauer  and  Robert  Campion  served  as  editors  or  managers. 

Mrs.  Taggart  disposed  of  her  interest  to  A.  Wentscher, 
Edwin  Parker,  Horace  Stevens.  Dr.  T.  C.  Stockton  and  C.  P. 
Gerichten.  The  first  office  of  the  Sun.  was  in  a  small  frame 
building  on  the  east  side  of  the  plaza,  where  the  Schmitt 
Block  now  stands. 

In  1886  Warren  Wilson  of  San  Bernardino  purchased  the 
Sun,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  the  paper  was  estab- 
lished in  the  Sun  building  on  the  Plaza,  built  by  him  and  now 
owned  by  Nathan  Watts.  In  February,  1889,  Wilson  sold  the 
Sun  to  Walter  G.  Smith,  now  of  Honolulu,  and  W.  E.  Simpson, 
the  money  being  furnished  by  the  California  National  Bank. 
The  purchasers  turned  the  property  back  to  the  bank  in 
January,  1891.  and  Dr.  D.  Gochenauer  was  appointed  general 
manager.  The  failure  of  the  California  National  Bank  in 
November  of  that  year  resulted  in  the  Sun  being  thrown  upon 
the  market,  when  it  was  again  purchased  by  Warren  Wilson, 
who  in  turn  sold  it  on  June  3  to  Paul  H.  Blades  and  E.  C. 
Hickman,  the  money  being  furnished  by  E.  W.  Scripi)s.  the 
millionaire  newspaper  pidjlisher.  Mr.  Scripps  had  just  come 
to  San  Diego  from  his  home  in  Cincinnati,  on  a  visit,  and  was 
persuaded  to  invest  in  the  Sun  at  the  request  of  his  cousin, 
the  late  Mrs.  Fanny  Bagby  Blades.  From  this  nucleus  has 
groAvn  the  entire  Scripps  league  of  western  newspapc^rs.  now 
covering  every  important  city  on  the  Coast. 

In  November,  1892,  the  Sun  purchased  the  San  Diegan, 
being  merged  under  the  title  of  San  Diegan-Sun.  With  the 
San  Diegan  was  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  F.  D.  Waite  as 
editor,  who  until  recently  remained  as  editor  of  the  paper,  and 
is  still  a  member  of  the  staff  as  associate  editor. 

The  Sun  has  had  various  business  managers,  most  of  whom 
are  now  identified  Avith  the  Scripps  properties  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  and  elsewhere.  In  ^larch.  1901,  ^Ir.  Scripps  purcha.sed 
the  interests  of  Blades  and  all  others  in  the  Sun.  and  trans- 
ferred a  half  ownership  to  himself  and  the  other  half  to  Mr. 
W.  H.  Porterfield,  which  ownership  has  continued  to  the 
present  time.  For  several  years  past  IMr.  Porterfield  has  been 
engaged  in  the  management  of  other  Scripps  properties  in 
Northern  California,  and  the  active  business  management  of 
the   Sun    has   devolved   upon   H.    E.    Rhoads.     Mr.   C.    A.    .Mc- 


492 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


(tI-cw.  foriiicrly  of  llic  Neir  York  Times,  is  cditoi-.  The  Sun 
is  iii(|('pfiul(Mit  ill  piilitics.  with  Democratic  Icatiiiius  in  national 
camjiaiu'ns.  Ivii'ly  in  tins  year  (  lOOS  )  the  Su7i  Conii)aii>'  movi'd 
into  ils  iKMV  Inline,  a  liaiidsoine  brick  buildin^i:  on  Seveiitli  and 
[>  Streets.  As  illustratiiis!:  the  growth  of  San  Dieg'o,  the 
statement  is  made  that  the  Sun's  business  has  quadrnpled  in 
the  past  five  years. 


W.    H.    PORTERFIELD 
President  and  General  Manaser  of  the  SilU  DeigO  Sllll  Publishing  Company 


The  San  Diegan  was  estal)lished  liy  J.  ^\.  Julian.  E.  J. 
Bacon,  and  -Julian  Regan  in  188").  as  a  Democratic  organ,  and 
fonr  years  later  sold  to  Chatt'ee,  Snllivan  &  Waite,  who 
I'emained  the  owners  until  the  consolidation  with  the  Sun 
in  the  fall  of  1892. 


THE  SHORT-LIVED  "BEE" 


493 


The  next  paper  ostablishcd,  in  ])()iiit  of  tiino,  was  the  Daily 
aiul  \\  (('kill  Bee.  Tlu;  Bee  Pul)lisliiii^'  Coinpany  was  ineorpoi'- 
ated  in  November  1887.  by  Wm.  F.  Hntton.  Will  II.  (iould. 
Thomas  J.  MeCord,  Harry  A.  Howard,  and  Thomas  L.  Filch. 
The  company  had  been  oi'iianized  in  tlie  spring  by  Messrs.  Hen- 
jamin  &  Cothran,  and  had  for  its  editors  a  Mr.  Zeigeid'uss.  and 


WALTER   T.  BLAKE 

Editor  of  the  Tribune 


F.    D.    WAITE 

Associate  Editor  of  the  San  Diego  Sun 


:\Irs.  (Mara  S.  Foltz.     The  Bee  was  a  live  paper,  while  il  lasted. 
It  was  aljsoibed  h\  the  Union,  in  December.  1888. 

Thus  far  this  story  of  the  files  is  that  of  the  papers  which  are 
either  still  in  existence,  or  have  been  absorbed  b_\  oilier  pa[)ei-s 
yet  published.  A  number  of  other  papers — exactly  how  many 
it  is  really  impossible  to  say — were  start(Ml  at  different  times, 
bnt  permanently  suspended  publication.    A  list  of  some  of  these 


494  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

is  yiven  farther  on.  The  most  inii)ortant  of  these  was  the  San 
Diego  Vidette,  a  daily  andi  weekly  paper  established  by  D.  0. 
McCarthy,  August  6,  1892.  Frorn  December  1,  1894,  to"  ]\Iareh 
7,  1895,  Harr  Wagner  leased  the  paper,  after  which  the  founder 
again  became  managing  editor  and  J.  Harvey  ^IcCarthy  busi- 
ness manager.  In  1899,  it  was  leased  for  a  short  time  to  B  A. 
Stephens.  T.  Spears,  and  Frank  Gregg,  in  succession.  In  Jan- 
uary. 1900,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Morning  Call;  and  in 
the  following  ^larch  the  Call  suspended  publication  and  the 
Union  bought  its  plant.  The  motto  of  the  Vidette  was:  "Thrice 
armed  is  he  whose  cause  is  .just."  It  M'aa  a  live  and  vigilant 
paper,  independent  and  fearless,  which  attacked  wrong  and 
corruption  wherever  found. 

In  the  Avay  of  periodical  literature,  the  first  ambitious  effort 
was  that  of  Harr  Wagner,  when  he  removed  the  Golden  Era 
monthly  magazine  from  San  Francisco  to  San  Diego,  during  the 
boom.  It  was  established  at  San  Francisco  in  1852.  The  plant 
arrived  at  San  Diego  early  in  ^larch.  1887.  It  was  intended 
to  change  the  name  to  the  Coronado  Illustrated  Magazine,  and 
public  announcement  was  made  of  that  intention ;  but  for  some 
reason  the  plan  fell  through,  and  the  magazine  continned  to 
be  published  as  the  Golden  Era.  In  the  fall  the  Golden  Era 
Company  was  incorporated,  by  Harr  Wagner,  J.  D.  Wagner, 
E.  C.  Thorpe.  C.  E.  Maxwell,  and  G.  C.  Berlew.  It  was  a  mag- 
azine of  fiction,  travel,  and  general  literature,  and  the  oldest 
illustrated  magazine  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  was  the  literary 
journal  of  the  Sonthwest  and  had  a  number  of  notable  contrib- 
utors, among  whom  were  Joaquin  ]\Iiller.  ^ladge  ]\Iorris  (^Irs. 
Wagner).  Rose  Ilartwick  Thorpe,  and  others.  It  was  publi.shed 
in  San  Diego  until  ^larch.  1895.  when  it  Avas  again  removed  to 
San  Francisco,  and  soon  after  changed  to  the  Western  Journal 
of  Education,  under  which  name  it  still  continues,  with  Mr. 
Wagner  as  editor-in-chief.  While  here  Mr.  Wagner  engaged 
in  a  varieties  of  activities  connected  with  education — was 
superintendent  of  schools,  connected  with  the  San  Diego  Col- 
lege of  Letters  at  Pacific  Beach,  etc. 

The  next  important  venture  in  this  line  was  the  Silver  Gate, 
established  in  January,  1899,  by  James  A.  Jasper.  Sixteen 
nnmbers  in  all  were  issued,  the  last  one  being  for  April,  1900.  It 
was  devoted  to  local  statistics,  current  politics,  articles  on  cli- 
mate, horticulture,  etc..  and  also  contained  views,  maps,  and  por- 
traits of  value.  AVith  the  September  number.  1899.  it  absorbed 
the  Mother's  Club  Magazine  (a  monthly  started  February  1, 
1899),  and  the  "Mother's  Club  Notes"  formed  a  department  of 
the  magazine  until  it  suspended.     It  also  had  for  a  time  a  depart- 


VARIOUS  PUBLICATIONS 


495 


ment  edited  by  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps.  The  back  numbers 
of  this  magazine  are  highly  prized. 

The  West  American  Scientist  was  established  by  C.  R.  Orcutt, 
December  1,  1884,  and  he  is  still  the  editor  and  publisher.  It 
is  the  organ  of  the  San  Diego  Society  of  Natural  History  and 
was  the  first  scientific  publication  established  on  the  Pacific 
Coast.  It  has  at  different  times  absorbed  a  number  of  other 
similar  publications  and  its  files  contain  matter  of  great  value. 

The  Western  Magazine  issued  three  numbers — August,  Sep- 
tember, and  October,  1906.  It  was  the  most  ambitious  example 
of  periodical  literature  ever  undertaken  in  San  Diego,  and  its 
early  demise  was  a  matter  of  sincere  and  widespread  regret. 


HARR   WAGNER  MADGE   MORRIS    (MRS.   WAGNER) 

Who  published  the  (iolden  Era,  a  literary  magazine,  in  San  Diego  from  1887  to  1895 


The  following  is  a  list  of  newspapers  and  other  periodicals 
known  to  have  been  started  in  San  Diego  from  time  to  time.  All 
these  periodicals  are  now  defunct,  unless  otherwise  stated. 

In  May,  1885,  D.  P.  St.  Clair  started  the  San  Diego  Califor- 
nian,  and  published  it  about  two  months. 

In  1887,  the  Bennett  Brothers  established  a  paper  which  they 
call  the  News  (Julian's  paper  of  the  same  name  having  been 
absorbed  by  the  Sun.  five  years  before).  It  was  issued  asa  daily 
for  six  months,  and  then  removed  to  Ensenada,  in  Lower 
California. 

The  Deutsche  Zeitimg,  a  weekly,  was  established  by  Charles 
F.  Kamman,  in  1887,  and  is  still  published. 


496  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  Free  Press,  a  tri-weekly,  was  published  by  J.  G.  Over- 
shiner  in  1887. 

The  Semi-Tropic  Planter,  devoted  to  agriculture,  was  pub- 
lished by  Cooke  &  Hufford,  in  1887.  C.  R.  Orcutt  afterward 
became  its  editor. 

The  Coronado  Evening  Mercnry  was  established  May  16,  1887. 
It  was  an  evening  daily,  published  at  Coronado  by  Kimball, 
"White  &  Co.,  and  later  became  a  weekly  issued  by  F.  E.  A. 
Kimball. 

The  Southern  California  Information  Agency  (Augustus  Mer- 
rill, manager),  issued  the  Southern  California  Informant  in  the 
latter  part  of  1887.  It  purported  to  be  "a  journal  of  reliable 
information  and  just  criticism." 

The  first  issue  of  the  Echo  was  December  3,  1887.  It  was  a 
critical  and  humorous  weekly. 

R.  H.  Young  issued  the  Pacific  Beach  Magazine  in  1888.  It 
was  subsidized  by  the  Pacific  Beach  Company  and  lived  about 
a  year,  expiring  with  the  boom. 

The  Beacon  was  a  small  weekly  published  in  1889  by  Sigis- 
mund  Danielwicz,  devoted  to  the  discussion  of  social  ethics. 

The  Clipper  was  established  in  1889,  by  the  Bayside  Publish- 
ing Company.    It  was  a  weekly,  edited  by  John  C.  Monteith. 

The  Great  Southwest,  edited  by  R.  H.  Young  and  devoted  to 
horticulture,  was  issued  in  1889. 

The  Dart,  a  prohiliition  jiaper,  was  first  issued  August,  1888. 

Zoe,  a  biological  journal,  was  established  by  Mrs.  Katherine 
Brandegee,  in  1890. 

The  Review,  a  weekly  publication  by  Birdsall  &  Van  Haren, 
was  started  about  INTareh,  1890.  It  was  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  the  National  Guard,  "society,  current  comment,  and 
education." 

May  10.  1890,  appeared  the  San  Diego  Bepnhh'c,  published 
every  Saturday  by  Stephens  &  Harris. 

The  first  number  of  the  Spiritual  Times  Magazine  appeared 
November  1,  1890.  Later,  the  name  was  changed  to  the  San 
Diego  Times  Magazine.     The  editor  was  William  Alfred  Rugg. 

The  San  Diego  Advertiser  was  founded  by  E.  N.  Sullivan, 
July  25,  1891.    It  is  now  the  San  Diego  News,  a  weekly. 

The  Seaport  News  was  first  issued  September  3,  1892,  and  it 
was  the  successor  of  the  Coronado  Mercury.  It  was  a  weekly 
journal.  At  the  time  of  the  change,  T.  D.  Beasly  assumed  a 
half  interest  in  the  paper. 

The  National  Popnlar  Bevieiv  was  first  issued,  July  1,  1892. 
It  was  a  monthly  magazine  devoted  to  medical  subjects,  and 
called  An  Illustrated  Journal  of  Preventive  Medicine.     It  was 


VARIOUS  PUBLICATIONS 


497 


published  in  Chicago  and  San  Diego,  by  J.  Harrison  White,  and 
edited  by  Dr.  P.  C.  Reniondino. 

In  1893  the  South  California  Fanner  was  published  by  J.  S. 
Richardson.     It  M^as  devoted  to  horticultural  interests. 

Out  of  Doors  for  Woman  was  the  title  of  a  publication  begun 
in  November,  1893,  by  Dr.  Olive  L.  Eddy  Orcutt. 

The  San  Diego  Real  Estate  Journal  was  started  in  1895.  It 
was  a  weekly,  edited  by  R.  H.  Young  and  managed  by  W.  H. 
Porterfield. 


WALTER   GIFFORD   SMITH 
Author  of  Story  of  San  Dieno.  an  interesting  historical  sketch 


The  Philosophical  Journal  was  established  in  1865  and  was 
formerly  issued  at  Chicago  under  the  name  of  the  F el  ig id- 
Philosophical  Journal.  It  was  removed  to  San  Diego  in  1896 
and  remained  until  December  of  that  year,  when  it  was  removed 
to  San  Francisco.     It  was  a  monthly. 

The  Weekly  Drift  was  first  issued'  April  17,  1897,  by  W.  A. 
Rugg,  editor. 

The  San  Diego  Chieftain  was  published  in  1901  by  John  A. 
and  Edgar  B.  Helphingstine.    It  was  a  social  Democratic  weekly. 


498  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Tlie  Bulhlin  was  a  small  "wumau's  own"  paper,  published 
late  in  1901. 

The  San,  Diego  Open  Court,  a  fortnightly  magazine,  was  estab- 
lished September  1,  1901. 

Wealth  was  published  twice  a  month  by  Ralph  Elliott  Field, 
beginning  in  November,  1903. 

The  San  Diego  Co-oporitor  was  the  organ  of  the  Rochdale 
Company;  the  first  issue  appeared  January  1,  1904. 


ROSE    HARTWICK   THORPE 
Author  of  the  famous  poem,  "Curfew  Shall  not  Ring  Tonight,"  who  resides  at  La  Jolla 


The  San  Diego  Herald  was  established  October  6,  1905,  under 
the  name  of  the  San  Diego  Tourist  Informant,  and  under  the 
management  and  editorship  of  B.  J.  McDow^ell.  In  December, 
1905,  George  H.  Hazzard  became  the  editor.  In  1907  the 
paper  changed  ownership  and  R.  Beers  Loos  became  editor. 

The  Mirror  was  established  January  1,  1906,  and  is  an  illus- 
trated weekly  of  industrial  character.  A.  G.  Stacey  is  the  editor 
and  publisher. 

The  Harbor  Light  was  i)ublished  quarterly  in  the  interest  of 
the  floating  Endeavor  work;  Mrs.  W.  W.  Young,  editor. 


VARIOUS  PUBLICATIONS 


499 


San  Diego  Bay  Region  Resources  was  a  monthly  published  by 
Burgess,  Moore  &  Co.,  on  linos  similar  to  California  Resources, 
of  San  Francisco. 

C.  R.  Orcutt  has  been  connected  with  the  publication  of  quite 
a  number  of  periodicals.  Besides  the  West  American  Scientist, 
which  has  been  mentioned,  and  which  still  continues,  and  the 
Soni-Tropic  Planter,  which  he  took  over  from  Cooke  &  Han- 
ford,  he  has  established  the  following  publications: 


WILL   H.    HOLCOMB 

Who  has  touched  the  life  of  San  Diego  at  so  many  points — political,  religious,   legal,   frater- 
nal,  business  and   financial— that  it  is  difficult  to  classify  him.  A  man  of  marked 
literary  gifts,  he  came  originally  with  the  purpose  of  writing  a   history 
of  the  city  and  region.     He  contributed  extensively  to  descrip- 
tive literature  concerning  San  Diego  County 


Young  Men's  Journal,  a  religious  weekl\-  in  the  interest  of  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  1887;  San  Diego  Magazine,  April  1,  1888;  The 
Work,  October,  1889,  also  in  the  interest  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. ;  Old 
Curiosity  Shop,  1881;  Science  anel  Horticulture,  March,  1891; 
Golden  Hints  for  California,  November,  1891 ;  California  Art  and 
Nature,  December,  1901 ;  Presbyterian  Herald,  a  weekly  church 
paper,  1901 ;  The  Manzanita,  or  Lower  ^California  Magazine;  Cal- 
ifornia Trees  and  Flowers,  and  Wester)i  World. 


500  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Besides  ail  these,  Sau  DietiO  lias  had  Tlie  Coronado  Aryits, 
the  Sunday  Telegram,  the  weekly  County  Beporter,  the  weekly 
Neuigkeiten,  the  weekly  Argosy  and  the  weekly  Enterprise ;  and 
among  live  periodicals  are:  the  San  Diego  Weekly  News,  the 
Xew  Century  PatJi,  and  the  Raja  Yoga  Messenger,  the  two  latter 
beino-  published  bv  the  Theosophical  headquarters  at  Point  Loma. 

In  1883,  W.  W.  Elliott  &  Co.,  of  San  Francisco,  published 
their  *S*(/;(.  Diego  County  Illustrated.  It  is  a  thin  quarto  with 
quite  a  number  of  views,  maps,  and  portraits,  and  contains  con- 
siderable fraonientary  information.  But  its  contents  are  largely 
of  the  "write-up"  order,  and  as  a  history  it  is  scarcely  to  be 
taken  seriously. 

One  of  the  duties  of  Douglas  Gunn,  while  editing  the  Union, 
was  to  write  the  annual  review  of  the  progress  of  city  and 
county.  In  1885,  these  articles  were  gathered  up  and  issued  in 
pamphlet  form.  A  year  later  the  work  was  revised  and  enlarged, 
and  more  than  85.000  copies  sold.  This  success  doubtless  had  a 
good  deal  to  do  with  inducing  Mr.  Gunn  to  undertake  the  prep- 
aration of  a  more  ambitious  work  after  his  retirement  from  the 
Union,  in  August,  1886.  His  own  tastes  would  also  naturally 
lead  in  the  same  direction.  He  spent  some  months  collecting  and 
arranging  additional  material,  and  in  February,  1887,  employed 
Herve  Friend,  representing  the  American  Photogravure  Com- 
pany, to  make  the  views  for  his  l)Ook.  October  2,  1887,  the  Union 
began  the  publication  of  the  advance  sheets  of  his  new  work, 
and  the  book  itself  appeared  soon  after.  It  was  entitled  Piefur- 
esque  San  Diego,  with  Historieal  and  Deseriptive  Notes,  printed 
by  Knight  &  Leonard  Co.,  Chicago,  and  bound  in  heavy  morocco 
with  gilt  edges.  Although  there  were  but  98  numbered  pages  of 
reading  matter,  there  were  72  full-page  illustrations  of  a  very 
superior  character,  and  the  whole  made  a  rich  volume.  The 
work  was  not  intended,  primarily,  as  a  history,  but  rather  to 
provide  an  appropriate  setting  for  an  up-to-date  statement  of 
the  resources  and  advantages  of  the  city  and  county.  Mr.  Gunn 
was  a  clear  and  forcilile  writer  and  it  can  fairly  be  said  that  he 
achieved  his  chief  object.  His  historical  outline,  too,  although 
brief,  is  painstaking  and  shows  wide  reading  and  information. 
The  venture  proved  a  heavy  loss  to  ]\Tr.  Gunn,  however. 

In  early  days,  the  San  Diego  Chamber  of  Commerce  turned 
out  a  large  number  of  descriptive  pamphlets,  some  of  which  were 
prepared  by  competent  men  and  are  quite  valnal)le.  In  1880, 
this  body  varied  its  program  l)y  employing  Theodore  S.  Van 
Dyke  to  prepare  a  more  ambitious  work,  containing  a  more  com- 
plete statement  than  had  generally  ])een  attempted  of  the 
county's  resources,  together  with  an  historical  outline.  The 
results  of  his  labors  were  published  in  the  same  year,  under  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  501 

title  of  The  City  and  County  of  San  Dirgo,  and  the  eifj-hty  pages 
for  which  he  was  responsible  .iustified  the  eoiifidenee  reposed  in 
the  author.  The  historical  outline,  though  brief,  was  accurate; 
and  no  man  has  ever  described  the  county's  characteristics  and 
summed  up  its  advantages  and  disadvantages  more  accurately 
or  brilliantly.  The  latter  part  of  the  book  was  devoted  to  biog- 
raphies, for  which  the  publishers,  Leberthon  &  Taylor,  were 
responsible. 

In  1890  the  Lewis  Publishing  Company,  of  Chicago,  issued 
their  Illustrated  History  of  Southern  California,  which  contained 
390  pages  devoted  to  San  Diego  County,  102  of  which  are  his- 
torical and  the  rest  biographical.  The  historical  section  of  the 
work  was  largely  performed  by  J.  ]\r.  Guinn,  secretary  of  the 
Historical  Society  of  Southern  California,  Los  Angeles.  The 
book  is  an  immense  one,  prepared  for  sale  by  subscription,  and 
covers  too  large  a  field  to  give  the  city  of  San  Diego  the  setting 
to  which  its  importance  entitles  it.  The  historical  work  was 
competently  done  and  of  considerable  value. 

The  first  attempt  to  write  a  history  of  the  city  of  San  Diego, 
apart  from  commercial  features,  was  that  of  Walter  G-ifford 
Smith,  in  his  Story  of  San  Diego,  published  in  1892.  It  is  a 
book  -of  163  pages,  and  undertakes  to  deal  seriously,  though 
briefly,  with  the  city's  history.  Mr.  Smith  had  had  considerable 
training  as  a  newspaper  writer,  and,  considering  the  limited  time 
training  as  a  newspaper  writer,  and  his  book  was  Avritten  in  a 
charming  style. 

A  number  of  newspaper  writers  and  other  1)i-iglit  men  and 
women  have  studied  the  history  of  San  Diego  with  fascinated 
interest  and  written  sketches  about  it  which  have  appeared  in 
periodicals  all  over  the  land.  Ben  C.  Truman  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  brightest  of  these,  and  all  the  others — Will  H.  Gould, 
Thomas  Fitch,  Theodore  S.  Van  Dyke,  Douglas  Gunn,  Walter 
Gifford  Smith,  and  so  on — have  tried  it  at  one  time  or  another. 
Will  H.  Holcomb  came  to  San  Diego  with  the  intention  and 
expectation  of  writing  a  history  of  the  place,  and  went  so  far  as 
.to  collect  a  large  quantity  of  materials.  Probably  it  was  only 
the  accident  of  his  having  a  satchel  full  of  these  papers  stolen 
which  prevented  his  carrying  out  the  ])lan.  As  it  is.  he  has 
contented  himself  with  w^riting  the  Rhymes  of  the  Missions  and 
a  number  of  historical  sketches  for  the  newspapers.  L.  A. 
Wright  is  another  writer  from  whose  published  sketches  consid- 
erable information  has  been  collected". 

During  his  residence  of  six  years  in  this  city,  William  E. 
Smythe  has  written  Constructive  Democracy  and  the  History 
of  San  Diego,  revised  and  largely  rewritten  his  Conquest  of  Arid 


502  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

America  (new  edition),  and  contributed  extensively  to  maga- 
zines and  newspapers.  In  the  same  period  lie  has  written  sev- 
eral elaborate  government  reports  and  prepared  many  formal 
public  addresses,  Avhich  have  also  been  published. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE   DISASTER  TO  THE   BENNINGTON 

HE  explosion  on  board  the  gunboat  Bennington, 
which  occurred  in  San  Diego  harbor  on  Fri- 
day mornino'.  July  21,  1905,  was  an  event 
of  national  importance.  The  vessel  was  lying 
ni  the  stream  at  the  foot  of  H  Street,  with 
steam  up.  ready  to  depart.  The  crew  num- 
l)ered  179  men.  Captain  Lucien  Young  com- 
manding. The  captain  had  gone  ashore  and 
the  crew  of  his  launch  were  awaiting  his  return  at  the  wharf, 
when  the  lioat  was  to  leave  for  Port  Harford  to  take  the  Wyom- 
ing in  tow  for  San  Francisco.  At  10:33  A.IM.  there  were  two 
explosions  in  quick  succession  and  the  ship  was  enveloped  in 
steam  and  listed  to  starboard.  The  forward  and  main  port  boil- 
ers had  exploded.  The  explosion  and  escaping  steam  killed  or 
injured  more  than  half  the  crew.  Many  were  blown  into  the 
water ;  others  were  penned  between  decks  and  cooked  by  steam ; 
the  passageways  were  blocked  with  dead  and  dying;  the  decks 
covered  with  blood  and  debris ;  and  a  scene  of  horror  impossible 
to  describe  was  created. 

Captain  Young  was  notified  and  hurried  to  the  wharf  and 
boarded  the  vessel.  With  him  went  a  reporter  of  the  San  Diegan- 
8un;  and  they  Avere  the  first  to  set  foot  on  the  deck  after  the 
explosion.  Boats  and  launches  were  sent  from  the  vessels 
anchored  near,  and  from  the  wharves.  Volunteers  came  on  board 
and  offered  their  services  in  rescuing  the  living  and  removing 
the  dead.  They  went  down  into  the  reeking  hold,  groping  amid 
wreckage  and  blinding  steam,  and  in  a  short  time  did  everything 
possible.  The  explosion  of  the  boilers  left  the  blow-ofiP  pipes 
open  and  water  began  to  come  in  rapidly.  The  danger  of  fire 
was  also  great,  and  for  this  reason  the  magazines  were  flooded. 
The  water  thus  coming  in  settled  the  vessel  in  the  bay  and  made 
the  work  of  removing  the  bodies  much  more  difficult.  An  engine 
was  provided  and  placed  on  a  lighter  alongside  to  pump  out  the 
hold.  It  took  three  days  to  finish  this  work.  On  the  evening 
of  the  24th,  the  water  was  under  control  and  the  vessel  having 
been  lightened  hy  the  removal  of  supplies,  she  was  towed  to  the 
Santa  Fe  wharf  and  made  fast. 


504 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


The  dead  and  wounded  were  transferred  to  the  nearest  wharf 
and  arrangements  for  their  care  immediately  made.  Mayor  John 
L.  Sehon  was  quickly  on  the  scene  and  organized  the  relief  work 
with  militar}^  skill  and  efficiency.  There  were  comfortable  beds 
for  the  sufferers,  hot  Avater,  physicians,  and  nurses  in  waiting. 
There  never  was  a  case  where  so  much  was  done  in  so  short  a 
time,  with  such  magical  celerity  and  absence  of  confusion  and 
friction.  The  police  kept  back  the  crowd  and  co-operated  in 
manv  wavs.    The  doctors  and  nurses  of  the  citv  volunteered  their 


THE   GUNBOAT    "BEi\M.\(,T(  ).\        AFTER    THE   EXPLOSION 


services.  The  Agnew  Sanitarium  and  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  were 
thrown  open  and  the  injured  removed  there,  where  they  were 
tenderly  cared  for  until  death  relieved  them  or  until  they  recov- 
ered sufficiently  to  be  removed  to  the  army  hospital  at  the 
barracks. 

The  number  of  men  killed  outright  at  the  time  of  the  explo- 
sion was  51,  and  9  died  from  their  injuries,  making  the  total 
deaths  resulting  from  the  disaster  60.  The  injured  numbered 
46,  and  only  91  escaped  uninjured. 

The  funeral  of  the  victims  of  the  explosion  on  July  23d  was 
observed  as  a  day  of  mourning,  and  the  citizens  of  San  Diego  did 
everything  in  their  power  to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  occa- 


HEROES  OF  DISASTER  505 

sion.  The  47  coffins  were  placed  side  by  side  iu  a  luny  trench 
at  the  military  cemetery,  and  the  ceremonies  were  of  an  impress- 
ive character. 

There  were  many  instances  of  individual  heroism  at  the  time 
of  the  explosion.  Injured  men  worked  like  heroes,  and  saved 
their  comrades  regardless  of  their  own  sufferings.  One  of  the 
men  who  escaped  uninjured  was  J.  H.  Turpin,  a  colored  man, 
w^ho  had  been  badly  injured  in  the  Maine  explosion.  The  forti- 
tude of  the  sufferers  was  beyond  all  praise. 

There  were  rumors  which  gained  currency  at  the  time  that 
the  boilers  of  the  Bennington  were  known  to  be  weak,  and  that 
the  commander  had  repeatedly  reported  this  fact.  The  affair 
was  passed  upon,  first  by  an  investigation  board  under  xVdmiral 
Goodrich,  and  then  by  a  eourtmartial,  the  latter  body  recom- 
mending the  censure  of  Captain  Young. 

The  Bennmgton  was  a  gunboat  and  a  warship  of  the  third 
class.  She  was  built  at  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  in  1889-90,  and 
cost  $553,875.  She  was  equipped  with  two  screws  and  was 
schooner-rigged.  She  was  taken  to  Mare  Island  Navy  Yard  to 
be  rebuilt. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE   TWENTIETH   CENTURY  DAYS 

0  HISTORICAL  work  of  any  value  can  bring 
its  story  down  to  the  clay  of  its  writing,  at  least 
with  any  degree  of  fullness.    Not  only  is  per- 
spective lacking,  but  the  infinenee  of  events 
cannot  be  measured  until  there  has  been  time 
for  them  to  work  out  their  results,  nor  can 
the  importance  of  men  engaged  in  active  life 
1)e  estimated  until  their  work  is  finished.   For 
this  reason,  the  early  history  of  San  Diego  is  dealt  with  exten- 
sively in  preceding  pages,  while  its  later  history  receives  less 
attention  as  we  approach  the  present  day.    For  the  same  reason, 
the  plan  of  emphasizing  the  old  and  dealing  lightly  with  the 
new  is  followed  in  the  closing  department  of  the  work  which  is 
concerned  with  "Institutions  of  Civic  Life."      It  will  be  the 
work  of  a  later  historian  to  deal  at  length  with  the  narrative  of 
San  Diego's  development  after  it  became  a  city  of  substantial 
size  and  permanent  character,   and  he  will  find  the  materials 
both  abundant  and  easy  of  access.    But  while  no  attempt  is  made 
to  set  forth  with  any  fullness  the  life  of  the  last  few  years,  it  is 
nevertheless  interesting  and  imi)ortant  to  sketch  in  broad  out- 
line the  expansion  of  the  twentieth  century  city,  and  to  mention 
the  more  powerful  influences  from  which  its  impulse  was  derived. 
The  decade  between   1890  and   1900  was  a  negative  period 
in  the  history  of  San   Diego.     By  the  national  census  of  the 
former  year,  it  had  a  population  of  a  little  less  than  17,000; 
by  tli(^  census  of  the  latter  year,  a  population  of  a  little  more 
than  17.000.     The  decade  is  memorable  throughout  the  nation  as 
a  period  of  depression,  a  part  of  Avhich  was  marked  by  acute 
hard  times.    Thus  the  stagnation  of  San  Diego  during  those  try- 
ing years  was  in  no  sense  peculiar  to  this  locality,  though  it  must 
be  confessed  that  its  recovery  from   depression  was  somewhat 
slower  than  that  of  other  American  cities,  and  even  of  mo.st  of 
those  in  California.     The  new  prosperity  began  almost  simulta- 
neously with  the  new  century.    It  came  so  gradually  and  silently 
as  to  be  almost  imperceptible  at  first.     While  the  enterprising 
men  of  the  city  were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  it.  and  to 
put  their  energies  aggressively  at  work  in  carrying  it  forward, 
it  cannot  be  said  that  it  took  its  initiative  from  their  efforts.    The 


THE  RISING  TIDE 


507 


tide  was  risiug  throughout  the  world,  particularly  the  world  of 
the  Pacific.  Sau  Diego  rose  with  the  tide.  What  were  the  forces 
behind  the  tide? 

First  of  all,  a  series  of  wars  quickened  the  demand  for  men 
and  for  all  sorts  of  supplies  and  provisions,  putting  almost  un- 
imaginable sums  of  money  into  circulation  through  all  the  arter- 
ies of  trade  throughout  the  world.     The  Japanese  fought  the 


LOUIS   J.    WILDE 

Who  was  the  strongest  personal  force  in  turning  the  tide  for  San  Diego  at  the  beginning  of 
the  new  century.     Coming  here  in  1903  and  proclaiming  his  faith  in  the  early 
realization  of  the  city's  dream  of  greatness,  he  proceeded  to  inaug- 
urate important  enterprises  which  contributed  materially 
to  the   city's   growth   and   prosperity 


Chinese,  the  Americans  fought  the  Spanish  and  the  Filipinos, 
the  British  fought  the  Boers,  the  Japanese  fought  the  Russians, 
and  there  were  many  other  armed  conflicts  of  less  consequence. 
While  these  struggles  were  remote  from  San  Diego,  they  set  cur- 
rents in  motion  which  affected  commerce  and  material  develop- 
ment everywhere,  especially  in  the  regions  about  the  shores  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  the  meantime,  gold  discoveries  were  made 
in  Alaska  and  the  hunt  for  the  precious  metal  was  renewed  with 


508 


HISTORY  OF   SAN   DIEGO 


fierce  energy  in  many  different  parts  of  the  West.  Then  came 
the  aggressive  effort  to  cut  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  to 
reclaim  the  deserts  of  the  West.  By  this  time  the  wind  in  the 
national  sails  had  stift'ened  to  the  freshest  gale  of  prosperity  in 
American  history. 

It  was  natural  that  Southern  California  should  collect  early 
and  large  dividends  from  this  national  and  even  world-wide  up- 
lift of  good  times.  Southern  California  has  two  strings  to  its 
bow — vast  material  resources  of  its  own  to  develop,  and  superla- 


D.    C.    COLLIER 

President  of  the  Ralston  Realty  Co.     A  builder  of  University  Heights,  projector  of  magnifi- 
cent improvements  on  Point  Loma,  and  participant  in  other  great  enterprises;  he  is 
a  man  of  creative  instinct  and  substantial  achievement 


five  attractions  which  drain  the  profits  made  in  other  localities. 
Beginning  in  1901,  and  steadily  increasing  with  every  passing- 
year,  the  Southland  has  gone  forward  with  leaps  and  bounds, 
developing  its  resources,  gaining  population,  attracting  capital 
for  investment,  and  enhancing  its  natural  attractions  by  the 
most  daring  creations  of  the  architect  and  the  engineer. 

Los  Angeles  scored  an  amazing  growth  in  consequence  of  these 
conditions,  acquiring  an  impulse  Avhich  set  the  entire  southern 
section  of  the  state  in  motion.      If  there  were  those  who  once 


RALPH   GRANGER 

President  of  the  Merchants  National  Bank,  builder  and  owner  of  the  Granger  Block, 
erection  of  this  building  in  1904-05,  was  an  important  influence  in  the 
subsequent  growth  of  the  city 


The 


510 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


tliouglit  that  Los  Angeles  and  San  Diego  were  rivals,  and  that 
the  prosperity  of  one  could  be  promoted  hy  injury  to  the  other, 
recent  events  have  clearly  shown  the  folly  of  their  reasoning. 
If  the  Southern  Pacific  had  built  to  San  Diego  instead  of  Los 
Angeles,  or  if  Scott  had  been  able  to  extend  the  Texas  &  Pacific 
to  this  port,  it  would  certainly  have  altered  the  fortunes  of  these 
two  important  cities.  But  that  battle  was  lost  long  ago.  Since 
then,  San  Diego  has  had  everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose 
by  the  rapid  development  of  Los  Angeles  and  its  surroundings. 


E.    BARTLETT   WEBSTER 

President  of  the  Bartlett  Estate  Co.  and  of  the  South  Park  and  East  Side  Railway  Co. 
leader  of  aggressive  enterprise  in  transportation  and  suburban  development 


Sooner  or  later,  this  development  must  extend  its  sphere  of 
operations  to  all  eligible  points  in  the  South,  most  surely  of  all 
to  the  region  about  the  lovely  Bay  of  San  Diego.  This  is  what 
happened  in  the  first  decade  of  the  new  century,  and  it  is  now 
so  clearly  apparent  that  Los  Angeles  capital  freely  invests  in 
San  Diego  real  estate.  Indeed,  the  marked  change  of  sentiment 
on  this  subject  may  be  regarded  as  the  most  significant  event 
in  San  Diego  history  during  the  past  few  years.     It  is  an  event 


U.    S.    GRANT,    JR. 

The  building  of  the  great  hotel,  bearing  the  name  of  the  soldier  president,   permanently 

identified  the  Grant  tradition  with  the  city  of  San  Diego,  and  is  regarded  as  the 

crowning'service  of  the  son  to  the  community  which  he  chose  for 

his  home  and  his  field  of  activity 


512 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


which  has  already  borne  fruit  and  which  will  Ix^mi-  more  in  the 
future,  for  it  signalizes  the  end  of  clannishness  in  both  cities 
and  the  beginning  of  an  era  of  patriotic — one  might  almost 
say  brotherly — co-operation  in  the  development  of  the  region. 
Striking  illustrations  of  the  tendency  are  seen  in  the  investment 
of  great  sums  of  Los  Angeles  capital  in  land,  power,  and  town- 
site  enterprises  in  the  northern  portion  of  San  Diego  County, 
and  in  similai-  investments  in  gem  mines,  and  in  tlie  lands  of 


M.    W.    FOLSOM 

President  Folsom  Brothers  Co 


O.    W.    COTTON 
Manag-er  Folsom  Brothers  Co. 

BUILDERS  OF  PACIFIC   BEACH 


El  Cajon  Valley.     The  point  has  already  been   reached   when 
any  good  San  Diego  enterprise  may  appeal  hoi)efully  to  the  Los 
Angeles  market.     Ten  years  ago  it  was  very  ditfereut. 

Coming  now  to  more  purely  local  influences  in  forming  the 
twentieth  century  spirit  of  the  San  Diegan  people,  the  dramatic 
events  on  the  Colorado  River  are  worthy  of  first  mention.  This 
is  said  with  full  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  the  city  has  yet 
realized  but  meagre  dividends  from  this  unexpected  develop- 
ment, owing  to  its  lack  of  railroad  facilities.     In  spite  of  this 


RIO  COLORADO 


513 


fact,  real  inspir 
San  Diego  is  to 
present  century 
use  of  the  Color 
tion  and  forces 
■world.     A   few 
Country  was  an 
disturbed  its  pr 


ation  has  l)e('n  di'awii  from  this  source,  and  if 

])e  a  very  large  and  ]irosperous  city  during  the 

it  will  be  because  the  traffic  arising  from  the 

•ado  River  breaks  down  the  barriers  of  its  isola- 

the  opening  of  the  port  to  the  commerce  of  the 

years  ago,  the  eastern   portion   of   San  Diego 

absolute  l)lank.     Neither  animal  nor  human  life 

imeval  silence.     Few  gave  it  a  thought,   fewer 


I' 


ED.    FLETCHER 


FRANK  A.  SALMONS 


Who  interested  Los  Angeles  capital  in  great  plans  of  development  along  the  San  Luis  Rey, 

at  Del  Mar,  in  El  Cajon  Valley  and  the  city,  thus  identifying  themselves  with  land, 

power,  irrigation  and  transportation  enterprises  of  high  importance  to  the 

community.  Built  Fletcher-Salmons  Block,  Sixth  and  D  Streets,  in  1906 


still  believed  it  would  ever  become  an  important  asset  of  the 
countrv.  Todav,  it  is  known  to  all  that  a  region  bigger  and 
richer  than  the  country  of  the  Sacramento,  or  the  country  of 
the  San  Joaquin  lies  at  the  back  door  of  San  Diego,  less  than 
three  hours  by  rail  from  the  water-front — if  the  rail  were  there! 
Only  a  few  far-sighted  men  realize  the  ti'ue  significance  of 
these  conditions,  yet.  dimly  as  the  ]mblic  has  seen  it.  the 
public  has  yet  put  forth  many  efforts  during  the  past 
few  years  to   stretch   a  hand   of  steel   from   the   perfect,  har- 


514 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


bor  to  the  Colorado  River.  These  efforts  have  been  almost 
pathetic  in  their  eagerness,  almost  tragic  in  their  repeated  dis- 
appointment. The  first  one,  at  least,  was  carefully  planned 
and  many  steps  were  taken  snccessfully.  The  author  of  the 
plan  was  Major  S.  W.  Fergusson,  a  man  who  ranks  among  the 
builders  of  California.  He  had  a  large  part  in  the  colonization 
of  Imperial  Valley,  and  it  was  from  the  standpoint  of  the  needs 
of  the  valley  that  he  approached  the  railroad  proposition.     He 


L.    L.    BOONE 

Located,  1886;  Police  Judge,  1887-88.     Rendered  important   services  in  connection  with  the 
San  Diego  &  Eastern  Railroad  Committee;  foremost  authority  on  San  Diego  harbor 


interested  the  Chamber  of  Conunerce  and  secured  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee  with  large  powers.  This  committee  raised 
over  $40,000  in  cash  subscriptions  to  make  complete  surveys  of 
a  route  from  San  Diego  to  Yuma.  The  surveys  were  made 
under  H.  T.  Richards,  chief  engineer,  with  H.Hawgood  as  con- 
sulting engineer.  The  road  was  found  entirely  feasible,  and 
the  cost  of  construction  and  ecpiipment  estimated  at  $4,573,850, 
or  $21,780  per  mile.  Rights  of  way  were  obtained  over  a  large 
portion  of  the  line  with  the  necessary  terminal  property  on  the 


FIGHTING  FOR  A  RAILROAD 


515 


water-front  and  franchises  from  the  city.  The  San  Diego- 
Eastern  Railway  Company  was  incorporated  with  the  follow- 
ing officere : 

George  W.  jMarston,  president ;  John  E.  Boal,  vice-president ; 
L.  L.  Boone,  secretary;  G.  W.  Fishbnrn,  treasurer;  the  fore- 
going and  U.  S.  Grant,  Jr..  Charles  X.  Clark.  Julius  Wagen- 
heim,  Homer  IT.  Peters,  H.  P.  Wood,  and  F.  S. 
directors. 


Jennings, 


HENRY   TIMKEN 

A  type  of  the  class  of  eastern  capitalists  who  have  come  to  San  Diego  to  make  their  home 

and  join  the  ranks  of  the  city"s  builders 


The  company  approached  great  railroad  financiers,  like  E.  H. 
Harriman,  George  J.  Gould,  Phelps-Dodge  &  Co.,  and  those  in 
control  of  the  Eock  Island  system,  as  well  as  many  other  capi- 
talists of  lesser  note.  Again  and  again,  it  was  believed  that  the 
success  of  the  undertaking  was  assured,  but  each  time  some 
potent  influence  intervened  to  prevent  it.  C.  W.  French 
acquired  the  rights  of  the  company  for  a  time  and  tried  to  pro- 
mote it,  but  without  results.  Chief  Engineer  Richards  organ- 
ized a  company  of  his  own  with  a  view  of  developing  a  similar 


516 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


project,  but  at  this  writing  uothing  tangible  has  arisen  from 
his  persistent  and  praiseworthy  efforts.  These  failures  did  not 
discourage  other  att(:'nii)ts.  the  most  notable  of  which  was  the 
movement  organized  by  J.  J.  Simons  for  the  purpose  of  having 
the  city  vote  bonds  and  construct  the  road  as  a  municipal  work. 
It  was  evident  enough  to  those  wlio  followed  the  course  of 
these  futile  efforts  that  the  powerful  railroad  interests  of  the 
United  States  were  not  ready  to  co-operate  in  giving  Sau  Diego 
more  facilities  of  transportation,  and  that  they  were  not  dis- 


CHARLES   L.    WARFIELD 
First  President  of  tlie  Realty  Board 


F.    L.    HIEATT 
First  President  of  the  Commercial  Club 


posed  to  encourage  others  to  do  so,  nor  even  to  permit  them  to 
do  so,  if  they  could  prevent  it.  This  sinister  influence  always 
lurked  in  the  background,  and  on  some  occasions  was  exposed 
to  the  plain  view  of  those  engaged  in  promotion.  The  inference 
to  be  drawn  from  these  facts  is  l:)y  no  means  discreditable  to 
San  Diego.  On  the  contrary,  the  opposition  of  these  powerful 
interests  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  importance  of  the  port. 
Nature  fashioned  it  for  a  strategic  point  in  Pacific  Commerce. 
Its  full  development  in  advance  of  alisolute  necessity  might  seri- 


CAUSE  OF  OPPOSITION 


517 


ously  affect  other  ports,  i-cvolutionize  steamship  routes,  and 
disturb  a  condition  of  equilibrium  which  has  been  painfully 
worked  out  by  the  transcontinental  systems.  TTnder  such  cir- 
cumstances, it  is  by  uo  means  strange  that  the  financial  power 
which  so  largely  rules  the  destinies  of  the  United  States  has  per- 
sistently opposed  a  direct  railroad  outlet  for  San  Diego. 

Though  this  opposition   has   proven   effective  so  far   as   the 
actual  construction  of  a  railroad  is  concerned,  there  can  be  no 


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ARTHUR  COSGROVE 

Prominent  for  many  years  as  a  merchant 
and  later  as  promoter  of  suburban  devel- 
opment 


M.    HALL 

Who  stands  in  the  front  rank   of  large 
real  estate  operators 


question  that  the  San  Diego-Yuma  project  has  made  decided 
progress  in  an  educational  way,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  and 
that  the  day  of  its  realization  has  been  brought  nearer  in  con- 
sequence. Neither  can  there  be  any  doubt  that  immediate 
advantage  has  resulted  in  other  ways.  The  railroad  agitation 
furnished  excellent  excuse  for  a  revival,  not  of  the  boom,  but 
of  an  aggressive  real  estate  movement  and  of  organized  efforts 
to  obtain  new  and  wide  publicity  for  San  Diego  and  to  inaug- 
urate a  new  era  of  improvement,  public  and  private.     Without 


518 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


doubt,  much  of  the  present  impetus  which  is  carrying  the  city 
forward  may  be  traced  to  the  fact  that  the  most  enterprising 
elements  were  united  in  the  summer  of  1901  in  what  for  some 
time  appeared  like  a  hopeful  effort  to  o])tain  better  transpor- 
tation facilities.  In  this  connection,  it  seems  worth  while  to 
mention  another  great  undertaking  which  was  widely  exploited 
throughout  the  United  States,  though  it  has  not  materialized 
as  yet.     This  is  the  Pacific  Steel  Company,  which  was  incor- 


CHARLES   L.    JOSSELYN 

Who  has    borne  an   important  part  in 
civic,  political  and  real  estate  movements 


I.    ISAAC  IKWIN 

A  leader  in  commercial  and  public  affairs 


poratecl  for  $100,000,000,  and  which  proposed  to  build  exten- 
sive works  and  employ  thousands  of  men  at  National  City. 
General  H.  G.  Otis,  of  Los  Angeles,  became  president  of  this 
company,  and  a  great  deal  has  been  done  looking  to  the  acqui- 
sition of  coal  and  iron  properties.  Whatever  the  final  out- 
come, it  is  the  testimony  of  those  who  have  followed  the  sub- 
ject most  closely  that  the  discussion  of  the  proposition  to  man- 
ufacture steel  on  the  shores  of  San  Diego  Bay  proved  a  most 
valuable  advertisement  for  the  city. 


E.    STRAHLMANN 


AUGUST   SENSENBRENNER 


J.    P.    HADDOCK  MELVILLE   KLAUBER 

A  GROUP  OF  MERCHANTS 


520 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


The  work  of  Katherine  Tingley  and  her  followers  at  Point 
Loma  must  certainly  l)e  acknowledged  as  one  of  the  contrib- 
uting factors  to  the  new  era  of  growth.  It  involved  a  direct 
outlay  of  hundreds  of  thousands  for  the  purchase  and  improve- 
ment of  property,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  a  considerable 
community  within  the  city  limits,  which  increased  the  volume 
of  local  business.  It  added  a  unique  and  interesting  feature  to 
the  list  of  attractions  for  tourists,  and  lent  new  color  to  the  social 


U.    S.    GRANT    HOTEL   IN   COURSE   OF   CONSTRUCTION,    JUNE,    1907 


life  of  the  place.  Drawing  its  recruits  from  many  different 
countries,  and  distributing  its  periodical  literature  throughout 
the  world,  its  value  as  an  instrument  of  publicity  for  the  city 
and  its  surroundings  must  be  regarded  as  very  large  indeed. 
Moreover,  Mrs.  Tingley  extended  her  work  and  investment  to 
the  city  proper,  purchasing  the  principal  theater  and  establish- 
ing branches  of  the  Raja  Yoga  School  there  and  elsewhere.  The 
fame  of  the  Point  Loma  institutions  has  strengthened  with  each 
passing  year,  as  the  beauty  of  the  spot  has  increased  with  each 
new  improvement  and  with  the  growth  of  its  trees  and  flowers, 
and  there  can  be  no   doubt   that  the  organization   over  which 


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E.  J.  CARTER 


GRANT  CONARD 


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1     m  'W^yii 

I.  D.  ROGERS  E.  J.  SVVAYNE 

A  GROUP  OF  REPRESENTATIVE   REAL  ESTATE   MEN 


522  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Mrs.  Tingley  presides  is  to  be  reckoned  as  a  permanent  factor 
in  the  prosperity  of  San  Diego. 

The  faith  of  John  D.  Spreckels  in  the  future  of  the  city,  as 
evidenced  by  the  widening  scope  of  his  enterprises  and  by  the 
constant  extension  of  his  own  power  in  their  control,  had  much 
influence  in  strengthening  the  faith  of  others.  The  establish- 
ment of  Tent  City  in  the  summer  of  1901,  and  its  continuance 
in  each  succeeding  summer  attracted  thousands  of  people  and 
put  large  sums  of  money  in  circulation.  The  improvements  in 
the  Southern  California  Mountain  Water  System  were  far  more 
important.  They  solved  the  problem  of  water  supply  for  a  city 
of  at  least  100,000,  thereby  giving  security  to  every  other  inter- 
est, and  largely  increasing  the  possible  sphere  of  real  estate 
operations.  The  street  railwa>'  system  w^as  also  extended  wher- 
ever conditions  justified  it.  The  retirement  of  E.  S.  Babcock 
from  various  Spreckels  companies  was  a  fact  of  some  historical 
signifieanee.  So  far  as  those  enterprises  w^ere  concerned,  it 
marked  the  passing  of  one  influence  which  had  been  powerful 
m  matters  of  vital  public  concern  for  many  years,  and  signal- 
ized the  growth  of  another  influence  and  the  consequent  cen- 
tralization of  control  in  the  hands  of  a  single  individual  or  fam- 
ily. Such  is  the  inevitable  tendency  of  great  wealth  under 
intelligent  control.  If  there  are  those  who  deplore  the  tendency 
on  In-oad  economic  grounds,  there  are  few  who  will  deny  that 
in  John  D.  Spreckels  San  Diego  has  a  private  monopolist  who 
is  kindly,  liberal,  and  reasonably  responsive  to  popular  demands. 
He  has  done  much  for  the  city — much  which  would  not  have 
been  done  without  the  aid  of  private  capital,  much  which  pri- 
vate capital  in  other  hands  might  have  done  less  promptly 
and  wisely. 

Two  other  powerful  builders  of  the  city  in  recent  years  are 
Ralph  Granger  and  U.  S.  Grant,  Jr.  Both  of  these  men 
invested  large  sums  in  the  improvement  of  the  business  section 
at  a  time  when  something  of  the  kind  was  vitally  necessary  to 
sustain  the  forward  movement.  The  erection  of  the  Granger 
block  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  D  Streets  was 
undertaken  at  a  somewhat  critical  time,  when  it  was  not  quite 
certain  that  prosperity  had  come  to  stay.  This  large  invest- 
ment in  a  inodern  store  and  office  building  gave  strength  to  the 
real  estate  market  and  encouraged  nuich  other  building.  Mr. 
Grant's  determination  to  construct  a  great  hotel  on  the  site  of 
the  old  Horton  House  produced  a  similar  effect,  but  upon  a 
much  larger  scale.  The  city  had  long  stood  in  need  of  a  hotel 
w^hich  should  rank  with  other  splendid  hostelries  in  Southern 
California.  The  location  opposite  the  Plaza  was  generally  rec- 
ognized as  ideal,  and  for  many  years  the  hope  had  been  enter- 


MARCO   BRUSCHI 
Located,  1869,  and  one  of  the  city's  oldest  merchants 


A.    KLAUBER 

Located  1869,  and  became  identified  with  great  mercantile  enterprises.     Steiner  &  Klauber, 

Steiner,  Klauber  &  Company,  Klauber  &  Levi.  Klauber  Wagenheim  &  Company— 

these  names  have  been  foremost  in  the  business  life  of  the  city  for 

nearly  forty  years.    Chairman  Board  of  Supervisors,  1878-80 

MERCHANTS  FOR  NEARLY  TWO  SCORE  YEARS 


524 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


tained  that  someone  would  utilize  it  for  this  purpose.  The 
undertaking  required  not  only  a  very  large  investment,  but  a 
generous  confidence  in  the  future  of  the  city.  Mr.  Grant  hit 
upon  the  happy  thought  of  making  the  building  a  monument 
to  his  father  and  thus  decided  to  call  it  the  U.  S.  Grant  Hotel. 
The  destruction  of  the  Horton  House  began  in  July.  1905.  The 
first  bricks  were  removed  on  the  evening  of  July  12th.  by 
]Messrs.  A.  E.  Horton,  E.  W.  ]\Iorse,  and  W.  W.  Bowers,  who 
had  participated  in  laying  the  corner  stone  more  than  thirty 
years  before.  These  pioneers  were  cheered  by  thousands,  assem- 
bled in  the  Plaza  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  "The  Freedom 
of  the  Istlnnus"  from  the  monopoly  of  the  Pacific  ]Mail  Steam- 
ship Company — a  celebration  that  was  somewhat  premature  so 
far  as  practical  benefits  to  San  Diego  were  concerned. 


LEVIS   BRINTON'S   HOUSE 
Corner  Second  and  Walnut  Streets 


The  growth  of  public  utilities,  the  extension  of  school  facil- 
ities, and  the  really  remarkable  movement  in  the  building  of 
new  churches  have  all  been  sketched  in  other  pages.  These 
things,  of  course,  were  fruits  of  the  new  prosperity  and  of  the 
increased  population  which  came  with  it.  The  number  of  inhab- 
itants was  estimated  at  35,000  in  1906,  and  various  items  of 
statistics  which  are  available  indicate  a  growth  of  nearly  100 
per  cent  since  the  national  census  of  1900.  Thus  the  ]iostoffice 
receipts  rose  in  five  vears  from  $39,151.85  to  $64,190.33 :  the 
bank  deposits  from  $l",830.923.60  to  $5,388,518.66,  and  tlie  build- 
ing permits  from  $123,285  to  about  $3,000,000. 

The  real  estate  market,  which  had  been  dull   for  years,  has 


shown    constantlv 


mcreasmg 


activity   from    1901   to    1906,   the 


WORK  OF  THE  BUILDERS 


525 


aunuai  transfers  increasing  i'runi  2,716  in  the  former  year  to 
9,223  in  the  latter.  Much  of  this  activity  was  due  to  specuhi- 
tioii — precisely  how  nnich  it  winild  he  interesting  to  know — 
and  in  this  speculation  local  citizens  took  a  eonsideraljle  share. 
But  very  much  of  the  buying  represented  a  genuine  demand 
for  homes,  and  much  of  the  investment  was  that  of  capital 
drawn  from  outside.  Never  was  more  persistent,  aggressive, 
and  brilliant  work  done  in  the  interest  of  an  aspiring  city  than 
that  performed  by  some  of  the  larger  real  estate  interests  dur- 
ing this  new  era  in  San  Diego.     The  Ralston  Realty  Company, 


MRS.    MITCHELL'S   HOUSE,    FOURTH   AND   NUTMEG  STREETS 


of  which  D.  C.  Collier  is  president,  and  the  Folsom  Brothers 
Company,  under  the  management  of  0.  AV.  Cotton,  furnished 
notable  "instances  of  enterprise  in  this  respect.  They  opened 
new  tracts  to  development,  inaugurated  daring  plans  of^  im- 
provement, and  advertised  conspicuously  in  publications  of  the 
Avidest  circulation.  The  degree  of  attention  thus  attracted  to 
San  Diego  brought  benefits  in  which  everybody  shared.  The 
operations  of  the  Bartlett  Estate  Company  were  also  very  intel- 
lio-ent  and  successful.  These,  as  well  as  other  interests  of  less 
maonitude,  did  a  kind  of  work  for  the  city  which  ranks  them 


among  its  builders. 


526  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

The  work  accomplished  by  Ed  Fletcher  and  Frank  Salmons 
in  the  San  Luis  Eey  region  in  connection  with  great  invest- 
ments of  Los  Angeles  capital,  while  not  related  directlj'  to  the 
growth  of  the  city,  is  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  strong  influ- 
ences in  strengthening  confidence  in  its  future,  both  at  home 
and  abroad.  Furthermore,  the  development  of  power  on  th-e 
San  Luis  'Rey  will  have  a  very  direct  relation  to  the  future  of 
manufacture  and  transportation  in  the  city  and  its  surround- 
ing country,  while  the  elaborate  improvements  made  at  Del  Mar 
must  increase  the  vogue  of  the  Avhole  San  Diego  coast  as  a  sum- 
mer and  winter  resort. 

Real  estate  activity  and  general  prosperity  engendered  a  new 
public  spirit,  and  this  furnished  the  inspiration  for  many  new 
organizations  aiming  to  improve  the  conditions  of  civic  life. 
Of  these  organizations,  none  were  more  useful  than  a  series  of 
neighborhood  improvement  clubs  which  began  with  the  homely 
task  of  cleaning  streets  and  yards  and  then  went  forward  to 
more  ambitious  undertakings.  One  section  of  the  city  after 
another  took  up  the  Avork  and  the  results  were  truly  wonderful. 
Compared  Avith  conditions  Avhich  had  formerly  prevailed  in 
some  localities.  San  Diego  began  to  appear  like  a  veritable  Spot- 
less ToAAHi.  ]Many  of  the  clubs  have  Icept  alive  over  a  long 
period,  AA-hile  others  wearied  after  the  first  enthusiasm  passed. 
Organizations  of  a  different  character  are  the  Realty  Board, 
the  Commercial  Club  and  the  Fifty  Thousand  Club.  They  do 
a  useful  AA'ork  of  promotion. 

Another  and  different  evidence  of  growth  is  seen  in  the  lib- 
eral character  of  recent  amendments  of  the  city  charter.  The 
most  important  of  these  provide  for  the  initiatiA^e.  referendum, 
and  recall.  The  adoption  of  these  proAnsions  placed  San  Diego 
among  the  tAA'o  or  three  most  advanced  municipalities  in  the 
United  States  in  the  matter  of  government.  The  first  use  of 
the  initiatiA^e  A^^as  for  the  purpose  of  closing  the  saloons  on 
Sunday,  a  reform  Avhich  had  been  defeated  for  years  by  the 
city  council. 

San  Diego  AA^as  in  the  full  sAving  of  its  new  prosperity  when 
the  ncAA's  of  the  destruction  of  San  Francisco  by  earthquake  and 
fire  Avas  received  on  the  morning  of  April  18,  1906.  In  many 
minds  the  first  thought  Avas  not  that  San  Francisco  alone,  but 
that  all  California,  had  been  struck  doAA'u,  and  that  the  end  of 
San  Diego's  progress  had,  perhaps,  been  reached  for  a  time. 
California  had  formerly  had  an  ''earthquake  reputation," 
which  had  been  patiently  lived  doAA'n  after  many  years.  Had 
it  noAv  been  re-established  in  a  fcAA^  short  hours  of  shock  and 
flame,  and,  if  so,  Avould  San  Diego  suffer  in  consequence? 
Many  feared  that  such  Avould  be  the   case,   and  the  prices  of 


528 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


realty  actually  went  down  something  like  15  per  cent  for  two 
or  three  weeks.  The  market  remained  very  dull  and  so  con- 
tinued for  two  or  three  montlLs.  "When  the  trade  returned  to 
its  normal  condition  prices  quickly  recovered  and  resumed  the 
upward  tendency  which  they  had  shown  before  the  disaster. 

No  community  of  the  United  States  was  more  prompt  than 
San  Diego  in  organizing  relief  activities  and  sending  relief  to 
the  stricken  people  of  San  Francisco.  Under  the  superb  man- 
agement of  Mayor  Sehon,  committees  w^ere  set  at  work,  and 
funds  and  provisions  collected.  The  sum  of  $25,000  was  imme- 
diately contributed  in  cash,  besides  large  quantities  of  supplies. 

The  real  prosperity  of  San  Diego  during  the  early  years  of 
the  new  century  finds  its  best  illustration  not  in  new  hotels 
and  business  blocks,  not  in  street  railway  extensions  nor  in 
rising  prices  of  real  estate,  but  in  the  number  and  beauty  of 
comfortable  little  homes  Avhich  have  been  built  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  city.  These  have  multiplied  with  sur- 
prising rapidity,  covering  the  sunny  slopes,  extending  out  upon 
the  mesas,  and  creeping  well  down  toward  the  water  front. 
They  are  the  prophecy  of  the  San  Diego  that  is  to  be. 


.^1 


A 


A   GLIMPSE   OF   SOUTH   PARK 


JNO.  S.  HAWLEY 

Formerly  a  nianufacturinjr  confectioner 
in  New  York  City;  now  a  resident  of  San 
Diego.  , 


F.  T.  SCRIPPS 

Owner  of  the  newest,  most  modern  fireproof 
building,  whose  confidence  in  and  foresig^ht  con- 
cerning San  Diego's  future  has  been  shown  by  his 
success  and  investments. 


F.  T.  SCRIPPS    BUILDING 
Sixth  and  C  Streets 

The  construction  of  this  building  in  1907  marked  the  advance  of  the  business  district  to 
the  north  and  was  a  powerful  factor  in  influencing  the  growth  of  Sixth  Street  as  a  com- 
mercial avenue  of  the  first  class. 


CHAPTER  VI 


JOHN   D.    SPRECKELS   SOLVES   THE   RAILROAD   PROBLEM 


awoke  to 
Union : 


HE  foregoing  chapter,  written  in  the  early  days 
of  December,  1906,  reflected  the  condition  of 
San  Diego  as  it  was  up  to  the  morning  of  Fri- 
day, the  14th  day  of  that  month.  Then  a  dra- 
matic thing  occurred  which  changed  the  entire 
aspect  of  affairs.  Having  gone  to  bed  the 
night  before  without  the  slightest  hint  of  any 
forthcoming  announcement,  the  whole  city 
behold  the    following    front    page  of  the  San    Diego 


a3jc  fan  Pi^o  luion  f^^ 


i2S3i,tW 


RAILROAD  FROM  SAN  DIEGO 
TO  YUMA  IS  NOW  ASSURED 


Ubc   wa   Be  Btt9t>   asd  'TTl 
«It  ltt{«mu  ^* 

B  CAWTAtlZEO  ^^^ 

FOR  SJlCMOXiONS  'X' 


paid  Yntardi)'  whb      I^i^ 


Rick  €pM  Fcrtik  bn- 
,  prml  VaDey 

l  HAMESi  SAN  DI£CO 
^        AND  ARIZONA  RY. 

[  Wa  BfEDg  Trft4«  o(  O* 
i:  lUi  Port 


ixtt-VBi   wax  toion 


nt  traouHMauK 


Z^y^£  iil-^K.         ^  y%.  ' 


ij^t^t.i      tar*  ar  JBt  akthics 


<m^  fvnw  4^tfiLi!p 


FRONT   PAGE   OF   SAN   DIEGO    I  XltlX,    DEC.    14,   1906 


530  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

None  but  a  San  Diegan  can  comprehend  what  this  meant  to 
the  future  growth  of  the  city,  nor  what  it  suggested  in  the  way 
of  immediate  gain  to  owners  of  real  estate.  The  ambition  for  a 
direct  eastern  outlet  dates  back  to  the  early  thirties,  more  than 
three-quarters  of  a  century.  The  first  organized  effort,  expressed 
in  the  incorporation  of  the  "San  Diego  &  Gila."  began  in  1854. 
The  success  of  the  citizens  in  securing  the  extension  of  the  Santa 
Fe  system  during  the  eighties  did  not  meet  the  demand  for  a 
direct  eastern  outlet,  and  was  disappointing  in  other  respects. 
The  great  effort  l)egun  in  the  sunnner  of  1901,  and  persistently 
pushed  in  every  channel  of  possible  relief,  had  apparent!}'  accom- 
plished nothing  more  than  educational  results.  The  year  of 
1906  had  indeed  been  one  of  the  most  prosperous  in  San  Diego 
history,  yet  as  the  year  drew  tow^arcl  its  close  the  prospect  of  a 
direct  eastern  railroad  outlet  appeared  as  remote  as  at  any  time 
during  the  previous  decade.  In  fact,  the  most  recent  develop- 
ments went  far  to  convince  the  public  that  the  city  was  helpless 
in  the  grasp  of  a  transportation  monopoly  which  could  defeat, 
and  meant  to  defeat,  as  it  had  defeated,  every  aspiration  in  that 
direction. 

From  this  situation  the  cit}'  was  suddenly  delivered  by  the 
mandate  of  the  one  man  who  had  sufficient  capital  of  his  own  to 
build  the  road,  and  sufficient  interests  at  stake  to  justify  him  in 
doing  so.  And  it  is  a  high  tribute  to  the  character  and  reputa- 
tion of  John  D.  Spreckels  to  say  that  his  simple  word  was 
accepted  by  all  as  a  sufficient  guaranty  of  the  performance.  The 
authoritative  announcement  of  his  purpose  in  his  own  newspaper 
constituted  a  contract  with  the  entire  San  Diego  public  and  the 
public  accepted  it  as  such.  The  San  Diegan-Sun,  which  is 
entirely  independent  of  the  Spreckels  interests  and  has  opposed 
them  on  many  occasions,  unquestionably  voiced  the  sentiment  of 
the  entire  conununity  when  it  said: 

The  Siin  feels  at  liberty  to  say  what  the  Union  and  Tribune, 
through  modesty  enforced  by  personal  ownership,  are  unable 
to  say,  that  San  Diego  today  lifts  its  hat  and  gives  voice  to 
an  unrestrained  cheer  for  John  D.  Spreckels.  To  Mr.  Spreck- 
els is  frankly  given  the  credit  for  securing  to  San  Diego  what 
has  long  been  San  Diego  's  most  urgent  need — a  railway  direct 
to   the   East. 

While  as  a  matter  of  course  the  fact  is  generally  ai)|)reciated 
that  the  road  is  not  yet  built,  and  that  so  far  only  incorpora- 
tion papers  have  been  filed,  this  move  made  by  Mr.  Spreckels 
and  announced  by  Mr.  Spreckels 's  newspaper,  is  accepted  by 
San  Diegans  unanimously  as  meaning,  substantially  and  capa- 
bly, that  all  necerssary  ])reliminary  plans  have  been  perfected 
by  Mr.  Spreckels,  and  that  the  railway  line  now  incorpo- 
rated will  lie  constructed  as  rajiidly  as  a  work  of  such  gigantic 
proportioTis  can  bo  executed. 


JOHN   DIEDRICH   SPRECKELS 

Whose  identification  with  the  business  interests  of  San  Diego  began  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Spreckels  Bros.  Commercial  Company  in  1886.  He  acquired  the  interest  of  W. 
W.  Story  in  the  Coronado  Beach  Company  and  its  allied  corporations  in  1887,  and,  later, 
became  sole  owner  of  the  properties.  In  1892  he  and  his  brother,  Adolph  B.  Spreckels.  ac- 
quired the  street  railway  system,  and  in  1895  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  Otay  Water 
Company,  which  evolved  into  the  Southern  California  Mountain  Water  Company  with  its 
extensive  reservoirs  and  system  of  distribution.  The  Spreckels  family  is  now  virtually  the 
exclusive  owner  of  all  these  great  business  interests,  together  with  a  morning  and  evening: 
newspaper  and  valuable  real  estate  in  city  and  country.  Such  vast  investments  in  San 
Diego  and  its  environs  amply  warranted  the  course  of  Mr.  Spreckels  in  entering  upon  his 
latest  and  greatest  undertaking,  the  construction  of  a  direct  eastern  railroad  outlet  from 
the  seaport  to  the  rich  valley  of  the  Colorado  River,  and  beyond. 


532  HISTORY  OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Big  enterprises  undertaken  and  successfully  accomplished  by- 
Mr.  Spreekels  here  and  in  the  central  portion  of  the  State 
giv'e  warrant  to  the  conclusion  that  the  plans  now  announced 
will  be  carried  to  equal  success,  and  that  the  eastern  outlet  so 
long  hoped  for  will  be  realized  as  speedily  as  possible. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  exj^lain  to  old  San  Diegans  what 
the  construction  of  such  a  road  will  mean  to  this  city  and 
country,  for  all  this  has  been  figured  out  many  times.  It  is 
doubtful,  however,  if  even  the  closest  student  of  the  situation 
can  appreciate  the  final  limit  of  the  results  of  such  an  enter- 
prise, as  it  is  given  to  no  one  to  see  all  the  details  of  the  fu- 
ture. One  result  plainly  visible  is  that  this  move  will  break, 
and  break  forever,  the  antagonistic  power  of  the  combined 
railway  interests,  which  for  years  has  been  exerted  against  San 
Diego.  jSTot  only  will  this  adverse  influence  be  broken,  but 
it  will  be  forced  under  the  new  conditions  to  become  a  friend- 
ly factor  in   the  upbuilding  of   this   port. 

This  turn  in  affairs  will  be  realized  no  matter  what  corpo- 
rate relations  Mr.  Spreekels  may  establish.  If  he  engages  in 
the  business  independently,  as  he  and  his  brother  and  father 
did  at  the  inauguration  of  the  San  .Joaquin  enterprise,  then  it 
will  follow  that  the  Southern  Pacific  will  be  forced  to  build 
here  to  protect  itself  from  competition. 

If  Mr.  Spreekels  allies  himself  with  the  Southern  Pacific  and 
if  the  road  to  be  built  by  Mr.  Spreekels  is  to  become  a  part 
of  the  Harriman  system,  then  the  Santa  Fe  will  be  compelled 
to  come  across  lots  from  Arizona  to  secure  a  portion  of  the 
trade  of  Imperial  Valley  and  a  shorter  route  to  this  poi't. 

If  Mr.  Spreekels  allies  himself  with  the  Santa  Fe,  then  it 
will  be  for  the  Southern  Pacific  to  follow,  and  without  doubt 
it  will  follow  and  follow  in   a  hurry. 

Looked  at  in  any  way  possible  it  means  that  the  railway 
combine  against  San  Ditgo  is  broken  at  last,  and  looked  at  in 
some  ways  it  appears  to  be  plain  that  the  building  of  one  road 
will  eventually  be  followed  by  the  almost  immediate  construc- 
tion  of  another. 

With  these  prospects  assured,  San  Diegans  have  a  right  to 
lift   their   hats   to   John   D.   Spreekels. 

The  articles  of  incorporation  of  the  San  Diego  and  Arizona 
Railway  Company  bore  the  date  of  June  14,  1906.  although  they 
were  not  filed  with  the  county  clerk  until  six  months  later.  They 
provided  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  San  Diego  "in 
a  general  easterly  direction  by  the  most  practicable  route  to  a 
point  at  or  near  Yuma,  in  the  Territory  of  Arizona. ' '  The  incor- 
porators were  John  D.  Spreekels,  A.  B.  Spreekels,  John  D. 
Spreekels,  Jr.,  AVilliam  Clayton,  and  Harry  L.  Titus.  The  cap- 
ital stock  was  fixed  at  $6,000,000,  of  which  $200,000  were  paid 
in  at  the  time  of  incorporation.  The  announcement  in  the  Union 
was  quickly  followed  by  two  substantial  acts  of  good  faith  on 
the  part  of  Mv.  Spreekels.  One  of  these  was  the  filing  of  con- 
demnation suits  as  a  means  of  obtaining  right  of  way  through 
some  of  the  most  valuable  property  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city ; 


A  MERRY  CHRISTMAS 


533 


the  other  was  the  aunouncement  that  the  entire  sum  of  money 
collected  by  the  San  Diego  and  Eastern  Railroad  Committee  in 
1901,  and  expended  in  the  effort  to  promote  the  project,  would 
be  repaid  by  the  San  Diego  and  Arizona  Railway  Company.  In 
both  instances,  Mr.  Spreckels  insisted  on  paying  for  what  the 
citizens  would  doubtless  have  offered  as  a  free  gift  in  the  form 
of  a  subsidy.  Indeed,  they  would  doubtless  have  supplemented 
all  this  with  much  richer  subsidies  in  the  way  of  cash  and  land. 
Mr.  Spreckels  preferred  to  be  absolutely  independent  and  free 
of  obligations  alike  to  the  public  and  to  private  individuals. 
Thus  it  happened  that  hundreds  of  people  who  had  contributed 


G.    A.    D  HEMECOURT 

Located,  1894;  city  engineer  1900-1907;  later,  connected  with  engineering  department  of  San 

Diego  &  Arizona  Railway 


to  the  railroad  fund  five  years  previously  received  a  most  unex- 
pected Christmas  present  in  addition  to  the  assurance  of  a  new 
railroad. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  note  that  San  Diego  is  perhaps 
indebted  for  its  good  fortune  to  the  calamity  which  befell  San 
Francisco  on  April  18,  1906.  Mr.  Spreckels  and  his  family  were 
San  Francisco  refugees,  though  they  fled  from  the  burning  city 
in  their  own  steamer  and  found  shelter  in  their  own  magnificent 
Hotel  del  Coronado.  Mr.  Spreckels  had  been  very  ill  a  few  weeks 
before  and  had  planned  to  go  abroad  for  a  prolonged  stay.  The 
destruction  of  San  Francisco  changed  his  plans  and  he  came  to 
San  Diego  to  remain  for  months.  During  those  months  the  rail- 
road pro,iect  took  shape  in  his  mind,  so  that  it  may  be  said  that 


534  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

as  San  Diego  lost  a  railroad  In'  the  unforeseen  event  of  the  great 
panic  in  1873,  so  it  gained  a  railroad  by  the  unforeseen  disaster 
at  the  Golden  Gate  in  1906.  As  its  history  was  powerfully  influ- 
enced in  the  wrong  direction  by  the  earlier  event,  so  it  will  be 
powerfully  intluenced  in  the  right  direction  by  the  later  event. 

While  unstinted  praise  is  given  to  Mr.  Spreckels  for  the  con- 
summation of  the  -railroad  hopes,  the  labors  of  many  others  over 
a  long  period  of  years  should  not  be  forgotten.  These  efforts  did 
not  produce  tangible  results,  but  they  were  not  thrown  away. 
Every  article  written  in  favor  of  the  direct  eastern  outlet,  every 
meeting  held  in  its  behalf,  every  movement  set  on  foot  to  that 
end,  from  the  days  of  Fremont  to  the  days  of  Spreckels,  contrib- 
uted something  to  the  final  result.  The  cause  that  has  faithful 
friends  is  never  lost.  The  cause  that  can  endure  through  more 
than  two  generations,  and  inspire  the  enthusiasm  of  a  commu- 
nity when  failures  have  been  so  numerous  as  to  pass  into  a 
proverb  known  throughout  the  state — such  a  cause  can  know  only 
triumph  in  the  end.  It  was  this  triumph  which  came  to  the  peo- 
ple on  the  memorable  fourteenth  of  December,  1906.  and  which 
brought  San  Diego  to  the  threshold  of  1907  with  rare  exaltation 
in  its  heart. 

An  old  epoch  had  closed ;  a  new  epoch  had  dawned. 


PART  SIXTH 

In^itutions   of  Civic   Life 


CHAPTER  I 

CHURCHES  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIFE 

HE  organized  religious  life  of  San  Diego  began 
in  1769  and  has  been  continuously  maintained 
down  to  the  present  time.  It  was  begun,  of 
course,  by  the  Roman  Catholics,  whose  con- 
gregation at  Old  San  Diego  was  served  by 
priests  from  the  mission  until  the  latter 
was  abandoned,  when  a  resident  priest  was 
supplied. 
The  first  priest  whose  name  appears  in  the  records  was  Father 
Vicente  Oliva,  from  the  mission.  He  left  in  1847  and  was'  suc- 
ceeded by  Father  Juan  Holbein.  A  room  in  the  house  of  Jose 
Estudillo  was  at  first  used  as  a  place  of  worship.  On  September 
29,  1851,  the  cornerstone  of  a  church  building  was  laid,  on  a  lot 
given  by  the  city  trustees.  Father  Holbein  made  himself  obnox- 
ious to  the  Masons,  who  were  strong  at  Old  Town,  by  forbidding 
the  members  of  his  flock  to  attend  their  ceremonies,  or  even  to 
go  into  the  street  while  a  Masonic  procession  was  passing,  on 
pain  of  excommunication.  The  Herald  says  that  he  was  other- 
wise illiberal,  and  interfered  with  the  education  of  the  Old  Town 
children.  It  appeal's  the  school  trustees  distributed  a  circular 
announcing  the  opening  of  their  school,  and  Father  Holbein, 
from  his  pulpit,  with  one  of  these  circulars  in  hand,  forbade  his 
members  to  send  their  children  to  this  school.  This  and  his  atti- 
tude toward  the  Masons  gave  offense  to  the  American  popida- 
tion.  He  left  in  September.  1853.  and  was  succeeded  by  Father 
Marincovich,  who  onl,y  remained  a  few  days.  In  1856  the  priest 
was  Father  Meinrich,  and  a  year  later  Father  Jaime  Vila  was 
in  charge.  Father  Juan  Molinier  came  soon  after,  and  under 
his  pastorate  a  new  church  was  built.  The  church  was  conse- 
crated with  high  mass  on  November  21.  1858.  The  San  Diego 
Guards  assisted  and  fired  a  salute,  and  a  dinner  was  given  by 
Jose  Antonio  Aguirre.  who  had  contributed  largely  to  the  build- 
ing and  equipment  of  the  church. 

This  church  is  still  standing,  in  the  southerly  outskirts  of  Old 
Town.  It  was  built  of  adobes,  but  a  few  years  later  these  Avere 
enclosed  with  weatherboarding.  It  is  the  Church  of  tlu^  Immac- 
ulate Conception,  and  is  still  used  for  services  on  Sunday,  when 
priests  attend  from  New  San  Diego.  In  it  are  kept  some  vest- 
ments, images  and  other  articles  which  were  used  at  a  very  early 


FATHER  ANTONIO   D.    UBACH 

The  famous  priest  of  San  Diego  from   1866  until  his  death  in  March,  1907.     (For  biographical 

sketch  see  page  175 


''  "-^f^r^^'i  '-^ii  jfe 


.  s^'\\A .  ^\\\\\\ 


v;-«' 


?■«•-,.■ 


540  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

day  in  the  mission.  A  number  of  Indians  still  attend  this  church 
— a  little  remnant  of  the  once  great  band  of  mission  neophytes. 
Outside  hang  two  bells  which  have  an  interesting  history.  They 
were  confiscated  by  Charles  V.  of  Spain  from  the  churches  in 
Bohemia,  and  found  their  way  here  through  ]\Iexico  early  in  the 
last  century.  They  bear  the  following  inscriptions :  "Ave  Maria 
Porimus.  1802";  on  one  is  added  "San  Jose,  H.,"  and  on  the 
other,  "Sivan  Nepomnceus,  1822." 

After  Father  INIolinier,  Father  Vicente  Llover  was  cura  for  a 
time.  In  1866,  Father  Antonio  D.  Ubach  came  to  San  Diego  and 
took  charge  of  the  congregation  until  his  recent  death. 
Soon  after  coming,  he  undertook  the  erection  of  a  new  brick 
church  at  Old  Town,  but  Horton's  Addition  drew  the  popula- 
tion away  and  he  was  never  able  to  complete  it.  The  cornerstone 
was  laid  on  July  18,  1869,  and  the  foundation  stands,  as  men- 
tioned in  Bamona,  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  street,  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation. 

Early  in  the  seventies,  a  large  part  of  the  congregation  hav- 
ing removed  thither.  Father  Ubach  organized  St.  Joseph's 
Church  in  Horton's  Addition.  The  first  place  of  worship  w^as 
Rosario  Hall.  The  church  building,  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Beech,  was  dedicated  January  31.  1875,  by  Eev.  Francis  Mora. 
It  Avas  a  small  wooden  building.  Avhich  is  still  standing  in  the 
rear  of  the  new  brick  structure.  At  the  time  of  its  erection,  it 
was  considered  a  fine  building,  and  was  spoken  of  by  the  news- 
papers as  being  situated  "on  the  mesa,  west  of  town."  The  new 
brick  church  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  1894.  It  is  a  com- 
modious and  imposing  structure.  The  parsonage  adjoins  it  on 
the  north. 

The  church  on  Golden  Hill,  called  "Our  Lady  Queen  of  the 
Angels,"  was  organized  in  1905  by  Father  William  Quinlan.  A 
fine  church  building  is  being  erected  for  it.  The  Sisters  of  St. 
Joseph  opened  the  Academv  of  Our  Lady  of  Peace  in  1884.  in 
a  building  erected  by  Mr.  Horton  on  bloc'i'  12  of  liis  Addition, 
which  they  have  conducted  successfully  ever  since  and  is  in  a 
prosperous  condition.  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  and  Sanitarium  was 
opened  in  June,  1890,  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  It  has  large  and 
beautiful  grounds  on  T"^niversity  Avenue  and  Sixth  Street,  where 
a  building  was  erected  in  1891.  The  original  building  has  been 
greatly  enlarged,  and  there  is  a  chapel  and  other  buildings. 
The  grounds  are  beautiful] \-  improved.  The  sanitarium  is  non- 
sectarian,  and  here  a  large  luimber  of  invalids  and  aged  people 
find  a  comfortable  home  and  good  care. 

EPfSCOPAL 

The  first  Protestant  denomination  to  obtain  a  foothold  in  San 
Diego  was  the  Episcopalian.     The  Reverend  John  Reynolds,  of 


EPISCOPALIANS  AT  OLD  TOWN 


541 


the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  was  appointed  chaphiin  of  the 
Post  at  San  Diego,  on  December  31,  1850,  and  was  army  chap- 
lain for  the  troops  stationed  at  the  mission  until  August  31, 
1854,  On  July  4,  1853,  the  Ilcnihl  announced  that  "hereafter 
the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Reynolds  .  .  .  chaplain  of  the  U.  S. 
Army,  will  conduct  divine  service  at  the  court  house,  and  for  the 
first  time  we  have  Protestant  church  services  in  our  town  of 
San  Diego."  The  very  first  service  at  Old  Town  was  held  at 
3  P.]\I.,  on  Julv  10,  1853.  The  details  of  these  earlv  meetings  are 
meager,  but  the  Herald  and  "John  Phoenix"  supply  some  local 


THE   FIRST   CHURCH   BUILDING   IN  NEW   SAN   DIEGO 

Erected  by  the  Episcopalians  in  May,  1869,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Sixth   and  C  Streets. 
It  now  stands  on  Eighth  Street  immediately  adjoining  St.  Paul's  rectory 


color.  The  paper  complained  that  "an  audience  of  over  a  dozen 
is  rarely  seen  at  the  court  house,  where  Dr.  Reynolds  ])reaches 
on  Sunda}',  while  the  Sabbath  calm  is  broken  in  upon  by  the 
riot  of  the  inebriated,  and  the  very  words  of  holy  writ  are 
drowned  by  the  clicking  of  billiard  balls  and  calls  for  cocktails 
from  the  adjacent  saloon."  Derby's  references  to  Dr.  Reynolds 
are  almost  entirely  in  a  joking  way,  and  not  to  be  t;iken 
seriously. 

Dr.   Reynolds  had  been   rector  of  the   Episcopal    Church   at 
Stockton,   and  was  well  spoken  of  by  the  newspapers  of  that 


542 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


place.  He  was  about  sixty  years  of  aue,  and  was  lai'uc  and  stout. 
Lieutenant  Adam  J.  Slenimer,  U.  S.  A.,  niai-ried  his  daughter. 
Dr.  Reynolds  removed  to  the  Atlantic  States  about  August,  1854. 
After  this,  there  were  no  regular  Protestant  sei'vices  at  Old 
Town,  until  afti^r  lloi'ton  came.  ^rinistei's  occasionally  came 
along  and  preached  a  sermon  or  two.     The  best  remembered  of 


DANIEL   CLEVELAND 

Located,  1869;  attorney  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad,  1876-85.     One  of  the  founders  of  the  Bank 
of  San  Diego,  1870.     Prominently  identified  with  St.  Paul's  Parish  from  its  organization, 
1869,  and  for  nearly  thirty  years  senior  warden;  lay  reader  since  1871;  delegate  from 
Diocese  of  California  to  General  Convention.    1889,    1901.     Has  been   president 
Society   of  Natural   History,    Coronado  Beach  Summer  School,    Univer- 
sity Extension  Society,  San  Diego  Art  Association,    and   Southern 
California  Society  of  Sons  of  American   Revolution 


these  occasional  sermons  was  that  of  Bishop  Kip.  He  had  been 
given  charge  of  the  Diocese  of  California  and  set  sail,  with  his 
family.  Coming  up  from  Panama  on  the  Golden  Gate,  the 
steamer  was  disabled,  as  has  been  related,  and  ran  aground  while 
trying"  to  leave  port.  At  this  time  the  Bishop  and  his  family 
were  the  guests  of  Don  Juan  Bandini  for  a  week.  His  first  ser- 
vice within  his  Episcopal  jurisdiction  was  the  bui'ial.  in  the  Prot- 
estant cemetery  near  Old  Town,  of  some  ])assengers  who  had  died 


BISHOP  KIP 


543 


oil  the  voyjim-'.  On  the  fonovviiig  Siiiuljiy,  .January  22,  1854,  he 
preached  in  the  court  house  at  Old  Town.  On  this  occasion 
Lieutenant  George  H.  Derby  acted  as  clcik.  read  ihe  responses, 
and  led  the  sintiing.  These  two  afterward  l)ecame  intimate 
friends.  The  Bishop  said  (to  Daniel  Cleveland)  that,  had  he 
known  at  the  time  that  the  little  man  who  assisted  him  so  rev- 
erently and  et^ciently  in  this  service  w'as  "John  I'hoenix,"  he 
would  not  have  felt  so  comfortable  and  assured  in  the  service  as 
he  then  felt. 


REV.    SIDNEY   WILBUR 
Who  orgranized  the  first  Protestant  Church  and  was  the  first  regular  minister  in  San  Diego 


Rev.  Sidney  Wilbur  arrived  in  San  Diego  in  October,  1868, 
and  proceeded  immediately  to  arrange  for  services  at  new  San 
Diego.  The  old  government  harraeks  had  been  long  unused  and 
M'ere  very  dirty,  but  he  courageously  undertook  to  make  them 
fit  for  the  purpose.  With  the  aid  of  an  Indian,  he  cleaned  and 
washed  a  portion  of  the  large  hall,  and  on  November  8,  1868, 
held  his  first  service  in  it.  Having  borrowed  a  melodeon,  he 
played  it  himself,  in  addition  to  rendering  the  church  service 
and  preaching.     He  continued  to  hold  services  here  for  some 


544  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

time,  and  his  work  aroused  so  much  interest  that  he  was  able  to 
organize  a  parish-  early  in  1869.  Mr.  Hortou  gave  two  lots  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Sixth  and  C  Streets,  and  in  May  a  church 
building  was  erected  upon  these  lots,  with  money  donated  by  the 
Episcopalians  of  San  Francisco.  This  was  the  first  church 
building  of  any  kind  in  new  San  Diego.  It  now  stands  on  the 
west  side  of  Eighth  Street,  next  door  south  of  St.  Paul's  rectory 
and  is  used  as  a  residence.  It  was  built  with  two  stories,  and 
while  the  services  were  held  on  the  lower  floor,  Mr.  Wilbur  and 
family  made  their  home  on  the  second  floor.  It  was  used 
for  church  purposes  until  about  November.  1809,  when  it  was 
removed  and  another  building,  known  as  Trinity  Hall,  erected 
on  the  same  spot.  This  second  building  was  removed,  in  April, 
1871,  to  two  lots  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  C  Streets, 
now  covered  by  the  Brewster  Hotel,  which  lots  Mr.  Horton  had 
in  the  meantime  conveyed  to  the  society  in  exchange  for  the  lots 
on  Sixth  and  C  Streets. 

In  August.  1886,  the  two  parish  lots  on  the  Brewster  Hotel 
site  M'ere  sold  and  two  lots  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Eighth 
and  C  Streets  purchased.  The  church  and  rectory  were  built  in 
1887  and  first  occupied  at  Easter  in  that  year.  The  first  cost 
of  the  buildings  w-as  about  $13,000.  and  considerable  money  has 
been  expended  on  them  since. 

The  first  parish  meeting  was  held  November  26,  1869.  Rev. 
Sidney  Wilbur,  Daniel  Cleveland,  Oliver  T.  Ladue,  E.  D.  Swit- 
zer,  J.  S.  Buck,  C.  P.  Rudd,  K.  J.  Ware,  George  E.  Nottage, 
Daniel  StcAvart,  and  John  T.  Hawley  were  present,  and  were 
chosen  as  tlie  first  vestrymen.  The  name  of  the  organization  was 
the  Parish  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Of  these  organizers.  Rev.  Mr. 
Wilbur  yet  living  in  San  Francisco,  and  Daniel  Cleveland  in  San 
Diego,  are  the  only  survivors.  Others  who  acted  as  vestrymen 
and  were  active  at  an  early  day,  were :  Charles  S.  Hamilton, 
John  P.  Young  (now  manager  of  the  San  Francisco  Chronicle) , 
Wm.  J.  McCormick,  Dr.  Thomas  C.  Stockton,  Dr.  W.  W.  Royal, 
and  Mr.  Lake.  Daniel  Cleveland  acted  as  senior  warden  for 
almost  thirty  years. 

On  January  22,  1887,  new  articles  of  incorporation  were 
adopted  and  filed,  bv  which  the  name  of  the  parish  was  changed 
to  St.  Paul 's. 

Rev.  Mr.  Wilbur  resigned  on  December  1,  1870.  and  Avas  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Di-.  Kellogg,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  served  about 
two  months.  In  January,  1871.  upon  request  of  the  vestry, 
Daniel  Cleveland  was  licensed  to  act  as  lay  reader,  and  he  has 
acted  frequently  in  that  capacity  since,  at  times  when  there  was 
no  rector.  In  February,  1872,  Rev.  J.  F.  Bowles  became  the  rec- 
tor, and  remained  a  few  months.  In  the  following  October,  Rev. 
Hobart   Chetwood   came   and   remained  until   Februarv.    1876. 


BISHOP  RESTARICK 


545 


Duriug  his  pastorate  the  parish  Avas  harmonious  and  prosperous. 
His  successor  was  Rev.  Henry  J.  Camp,  who  remained  until  May, 
1881.  There  was  then  an  interregnum  filled  by  the  lay  reader, 
until  July  25,  1882,  when  Rev.  Henry  B.  Restarick  arrived  to 
take  charge  of  the  parish. 

Mr.  Restarick  was  a  young  man,  energetic  and  tactful,  and 
soon  infused  new  life  into  the  congregation.  He  found  about 
20  communicants ;  when  he  left,  twenty  years  later,  there  were 
over  -lOO  communicants,  plenty  of  funds  and  a  large  number  of 


HENRY   B.    RESTARICK 

For  twenty  years  rector  of  St.   Paul's 
Church:  created  Bishop  of  Honolulu  in  1902 


REV.    CHARLES   L.    BARNES 
The  present  rector  of  St.  Paul's  Church 


activities.    A  fine  new  parish  church  and 
and  four  other  church  buildings — two  in 
rectory  at  National  City,  and  one  at  Bost 
and  paid  for  through  his  lal)ors.     From 
tion  to  the  priesthood  in  Iowa,  in  June, 
and  consecration  as  Bishop  of  Honolulu 
one  parish — i-^t.  Paul's.  San  Diego.     He 
in  his  own  ]iarish  church.  July  2.  1902. 

Rev.  Charles  L.  Barnes  was  chosen  to 
and  is  still  the  incumbent. 


rectory  had  been  built, 
San  Diego,  one  with  a 
onia — had  been  erected 
the  time  of  his  ordina- 
1882.  until  his  election 
.  in  1902,  he  had  only 
was  consecrated  bishop 

succeed  Mr.  Restarick, 


546  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  working  organizations  of  St.  Paul's  are:  Woman's  Aux- 
iliary to  the  Board  of  Missions,  the  Guild,  a  Chapter  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew,  etc. 

St.  James's  Mission  on  Logan  Heights  was  founded  by  Bishop 
Restarick  in  1888.  Services  were  first  held  in  a  store  building 
on  Logan  Avenue  near  Twenty-fourth.  In  1891,  two  lots  were 
purchased  at  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  Kearney  Avenue,  and  a 
church  building  erected.  The  building  was  consecrated  as  a 
mission  and  later  became  an  independent  church.  The  rectors, 
beginning  in  1889,  have  been :  Messrs.  Sanderson.  S.  H.  Ilder- 
ton,  James  R.  De  Wolfe  Cowie,  F.  W.  Chase,  A.  L.  ^litchell, 

F.  A.  Zimmerman,  Alfred  R.  Taylor,  and  Alfred  Kinsley  Glover, 
who  is  still  in  charge. 

All  Saints  Mission,  corner  Sixth  and  Thornton  Streets,  is  an- 
other of  Bishop  Restarick 's  foundations.  Rev.  J.  A.  ^I.  Richey 
is  its  rector. 

St,  Peter's  Mission  Hall,  Coronado,  was  organized  in  1887  by 
Bishop  Restarick.  The  church  at  National  City  is  called  St. 
Matthew's  and  that  at  South  San  Diego,  St.  Mark's.  At  La 
Jolla  there  is  a  small  congregation,  which  recently  began  to  hold 
services,  with  Mr.  Cleveland  as  lay  reader. 

METHODISTS 

The  activity  of  the  growing  settlement  at  Ilorton's  Addition 
brought  about  the  organization  of  congregations  of  a  number  of 
the  principal  Protestant  denominations  at  neai'ly  the  same  time. 
The  Methodists  were  a  close  second  to  the  Episcopalians,  in  point 
of  time.     The  pioneer  minister  of  this  denomination  was  Rev. 

G.  W.  B.  McDonald,  who  came  January  12,  1869,  and  at  once 
organized  a  church  and  Sunday-school  with  aliout  20  members. 
Prior  to  that  date,  meetings  had  been  held  at  tlie  homes  of  mem- 
bers, led  by  H.  H.  Dougherty,  who  came  to  San  Diego  October 
10,  1868.  Mr.  McDonald  was  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia.  He  spent 
his  remaining  days  in  San  Diego  and  was  an  active  and  useful 
citizen.    He  died  February  8,  1886,  aged  65. 

Following  Mr.  McDonald,  Rev.  I.  H.  Cox  acted  as  supply  until 
October,  1869,  when  he  was  relieved  by  Rev.  D.  A.  Dryden,  who 
was  the  first  regularly  appointed  minister  to  take  charge  of  the 
congregation.  The  formal  organization  was  made  in  January, 
1870,  at  which  time  a  church  building  was  dedicated,  free  from 
debt,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  D  and  Fourth  Streets,  on  two 
lots  given  by  Mr.  Horton.  It  is  said  that  ]\Ir.  Dryden  made  the 
pulpit  and  chair  with  his  own  hands.  This  building  is  still  stand- 
ing, at  No.  646  India  Street,  to  Avhich  place  it  was  removed  w'hen 
the  new  brick  church  building  was  erected.  It  was  used  as  a 
barracks  for  the  volunteers  during  the  Spanish  War,  and  is  now 
occupied  by  the  American  Televue  Company. 


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548  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

The  first  board  of  trustees  consisted  of :  G.  W.  B.  McDonald, 
R.  D.  Case,  J.  M.  Young,  C.  B.  Richards,  N.  W.  Hensley,  J.  W. 
Gale,  A.  E.  Horton,  E.  Aylesworth,  and  W.  F.  Pettit.  The  ded- 
ication took  place  on  February  13,  1870,  and  the  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  :\I.  C.  Briggs,  D.D.,  of  Santa  Clara.  This 
church  was  removed,  as  stated,  in  1887,  and  a  three-story  brick 
block  erected  on  the  site,  for  the  comliined  uses  of  the  church 
and  as  a  business  block.  At  the  time  of  its  erection  and  for  sev- 
eral years  after,  this  was  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  useful 
buildings  in  the  city.  The  first  floor  and  the  front  of  the  second 
and  third  floors  are  rented  for  business  offices,  and  the  rear  of 
the  second  and  third  stories  contains  the  auditorium.  This  new 
church  was  dedicated  on  February  26,  1888,  Rev.  R.  S.  Cantine, 
of  Los  Angeles,  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon. 

Recently,  the  congregation  outgrew  these  quarters,  and  the 
building  was  sold  in  1905  and  plans  prepai-ed  for  a  new  church. 
The  cornerstone  of  a  new  building  was  laid  July  1,  1906,  Bishop 
John  W.  Hamilton,  of  INIexico,  delivering  the  principal 
address.  The  new  church  is  the  most  magnificent  in 
the  city,  and  has  cost  about  $65,000.  The  lots,  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Ninth  and  C  Streets,  are  worth  about  $35,000. 

This  congregation  has  been,  from  the  beginning,  a  strong  and 
active  element  in  the  religious  life  of  the  community.  Among 
the  ministers  who  have  served  at  different  times  are  found  the 
following  names :  G.  W.  B.  McDonald.  I.  11.  Cox,  D.  A.  Dryden, 
H.  H.  Dougherty.  W.  Inch  (who  died  February  12,  1871),  J.  R. 
Tasev,  James  Wickes,  G.  S.  Hickev,  T.  S.  Houts,  M.  M.  Bovard, 
J.  L.  Mann,  A.  H.  Tevis,  P.  Y.  Cool,  A.  M.  Bunker,  T.  S.  Uren, 
E.  S.  Chase,  M.  F.  Coll)urn,  L.  M.  Hartley,  R.  L.  Bruce.  A.  M. 
Gil)bons,  and  the  present  incumbent.  Dr.  Lewis  Guild. 

The  Central  M.  E.  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-sixth  Street 
and  Harrison  Avenue,  was  established  January  12,  1887,  with 
a  membership  of  12.  under  care  of  Rev.  J.  I.  Foote.  The  corner- 
stone was  laid  July  31,  1887,  Bishop  Fowler  officiating.  Among 
the  pastors  have  been:  D.  H.  Gillan,  J.  Pittenger,  and  C.  M. 
Christ.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Bede  A.  Johnson.  There  is 
a  parsonage,  and  the  congregation  is  a  prosperous  one. 

There  is  a  prosperous  German  ]\T.  E.  Church,  in  its  own  build- 
ing at  Sixteenth  and  T  Streets.  This  chnrch  was  organized  in 
1887  and  the  building  was  first  used  on  April  4.  1888.  The  first 
pastor  was  Rev.  L.  C.  Pfaffineer.  Succeedinc:  him,  L.  E. 
Schneider,  F.  A.  Werth,  and  Mr.  Schroeder  served.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  Frederick  Bonn. 

A  Scandinavian  M.  E.  Church  was  organized  in  1880. 

The  African  M.  E.  Church  was  organized  in  1888,  with  a  mem- 
bership of  9.  Rev.  W.  H.  Hillery  was  the  first  pastor,  and  after 
him  appear  the  names  of  W.  E.  De  Claybrook  and  Rev.  Price 


THE  METHODISTS 


549 


Haywood.     Their  place  of  worship  is  at  Xo.  KJ-lo  Front  Street. 

The  Bethel  African  M.  E.  Church  meets  on  Union  Street  near 
H.  Amoii^'  t]i«^  pastors  are  Rev.  Georae  A.  Bailey  and  W.  M. 
Viney. 

The  Coronado  M.  E.  Church  was  or<iaiiiz(Hl  in  ISST,  with  20 
members.  The  congregation  has  a  good  property.  The  first  pas- 
tor was  Rev.  Silas  S.  Sprowlos.  wlio  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
A.  Inwood. 

The  First  Free  Methodist  Church  was  organized  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1897  by  Rev.  C.  B.  Ebey  and  wife,  W.  H.  Tucker  and 


FIRST   FREE   METHODIST   CHURCH 
Corner  of  Front  and  Beech  Streets 


wife,  F.  F.  Allen  and  wife,  Virginia  M.  Walters,  and  Maggie  A. 
Nickle.  Meetings  had  been  held  the  previous  year  at  the  Help- 
ing Hand  Mission,  and  immediately  prior  to  the  organization  in 
a  tent  on  the  corner  of  Eighth  and  G  Streets.  A  churcli  ])nild- 
ing  was  erected  in  1899,  on  the  same  site,  which  was  dedicated  on 
January  1,  1900,  by  Rev.  E.  P.  Hart,  of  Alameda.  The  fii-st 
pastor  was  Rev.  W.  G.  Lopeman.  and  followins-  him  were  Revs. 
C.  B.  Ebev,  James  Seals,  E.  G.  Albright,  John  B.  Roberts,  and 


550  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

J.  Q.  Murray.  A  lot  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Beech  Streets 
was  purchased  in  1900,  and  the  church  building  moved  to  that 
location.  During  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Roberts,  a  parsonage  was 
built  adjoining  the  church. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South  has  a  strong  and  act- 
ive organization.  In  1871,  Bishop  John  C.  Keener  purchased  for 
the  Society  two  lots  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Seventh  and  D 
Streets.  A  few  ^-ears  later,  Rev.  John  Weslev  Allen  was 
appointed  pastor  for  San  Diego,  and  arrived  November  23,  1882. 
The  first  service  was  held  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  in 
HubbelFs  Hall.  The  congregation  then  worshipped  in  the  old 
Masonic  Hall  until  their  church  building  was  ready.  The  corner- 
stone of  this  building  was  laid  on  the  fii'st  day  of  January.  1884. 
The  new  edifice  was  called  "Keener  Chapel."  It  was  dedicated 
May  11,  1884,  Rev.  W.  B.  Stradley,  of  Los  Angeles,  preaching 
the  dedicatory  sermon.  The  greater  ]iart  of  the  funds  for  this 
building  was  provided  by  the  Board  of  Church  Extension,  and 
the  congregation  began  its  work  out  of  debt.  The  lots  were  after- 
ward exchanged  for  one  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Eighth  and 
C  Streets,  and  the  chapel  was  removed  to  the  new  location  and 
at  the  same  time  considerably  improved,  as  well  as  being  pro- 
vided with  a  parsonage. 

]\Ir.  Allen  remained  until  November.  1884,  when  he  was  sent 
to  Santa  Barbara  and  succeeded  bv  W.  W.  Welsh.  Then  fol- 
lowed R.  Pratt,  E.  T.  Hodges,  James  Healey,  R.  W.  Bailey,  J. 
F.  C.  Finlev.  James  Healev  aaain.  W.  H.  Dver,  A.  C.  Bane,  R. 
W.  Rowland,  S.  W.  Walker,  C.  S.  Perry,  C.'S.  McCausland.  R. 
P.  Howett,  M.  P.  Sharborough.  and  S.  E.  Allison,  the  present 
incumbent.  Mr.  Allison  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  and  served  in  the 
Texan  and  New  ^Mexican  Conferences  before  coming  here.  He 
was  transferred  to  the  Los  Angeles  Conference  in  1900.  and 
came  to  San  Diego  in  1905.  The  total  enrollment  of  this  church 
organization  is  493,  and  the  present  membership  about  125. 

BAPTISTS 

Although  the  INFethodists  began  holding  services  in  private 
houses  earlier,  the  Baptists  were  before  them  in  the  organization 
of  a  congregation  and  the  building  of  a  church  edifice,  being  sec- 
ond only  to  the  Episcopalians.  The  first  congregation  was  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  C.  F.  Weston  on  June  5,  1869.  He  had  been  preach- 
ing at  the  government  barracks  since  the  preceding  February.  At 
this  organization,  W.  S.  Gregg  and  Dr.  Jacob  Allen  were  chosen 
deacons  and  E.  W.  S.  Cole,  clerk.  The  church  building  was  com- 
menced in  August  and  opened  for  worshiji  October  3.  Rev.  Mr. 
Morse  preaching  the  first  sermon  in  it.  This  building  was  on 
Seventh  Street  near  F,  on  a  lot  given  by  Mr.  Horton.     He  also 


THE  BAPTISTS 


551 


gave  the  yoiiiiu'  congregation  a  church  bell — the  first  one  ever 
used  in  new  Saii  Diego.  The  formal  dedication  took  place  on 
the  31st  of  the  same  month,  and  Rev.  B.  S.  McLafferty,  of  Marys- 
ville,  preached  the  sermon.  Mr.  ^IcLafferty  was  called  to  take 
charge  of  the  congregation,  and  arrived  for  that  purpose  on 
December  18,  1869.  The  present  church  building,  on  Tenth  and 
E  Streets,  was  built  in  1888,  and  cost  il^32,000.  The  First  Bap- 
tist Church  was  incorporated  on  August  19,  1887. 

Mr.  ^Meljafferty  remained  in   San  Diego  a  year  and  a  half. 
Resigning  in  January,  1873,  he  was  succeeded  by  0.  W.  Gates, 


OLD   BAPTIST   CHURCH 

This  building  was  erected  in  the  autumn  of  1869,  and  is  still  standing  on  its  original   site  on 

Seventh,  between  F  and  G  Streets 


Avho  remained  eight  years.  Then  followed  Revs.  A.  J.  Sturte- 
vant,  one  year;  Edwin  C.  Hamilton,  one  year;  W.  II.  Stenger, 
two  years;  A.  Chapman,  two  months;  E.  P.  Smith,  two  months; 
W.  F.  Harper,  from  1888  to  1893  (during  Avhich  time  the  new 
church  was  built)  ;  A.  E.  Knapp,  1893  to  1900.  The  present  pas- 
tor. Rev.  W.  B.  Hinson,  took  charge  the  first  Sunday  in  June, 
1900,  coming  direct  from  Vancouver,  B.  C,  and  has  remained 
ever  since.  The  church  has  a  membership  of  nearly  700  and  is 
strong  and  active. 


552 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


Among  its  activities,  the  First  Baptist  Church  maintains  a 
number  of  missions.  One  was  organized  at  Old  Town  in  1888, 
in  charge  of  H.  S.  Hanson,  and  maintained  for  some  years.  It 
is  noteworth}'  that  this  was  the  only  Protestant  religious  organ- 
ization ever  made  in  Old  Town.  Missions  were  also  organized 
several  years  ago  at  National  City,  Coronado  and  Chollas  Valley. 
The  Grand  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  on  Grand  Avenue  between 


FIRST   BAPTIST   CHURCH 
Erected  in  1888  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Tenth  and  E  Streets 


Twenty-ninth  and  Thirtieth  Streets,  was  organized  in  1889  as 
a  mission  of  the  First  Church. 

Other  Baptist  organizations  are  the  Baptist  Scandinavian 
Church,  organized  in  1888.  On  the  corner  of  Nineteenth  and  H 
Streets,  is  the  Swedish  Baptist  Church.  The  Second  Baptist 
Church  (colored)  was  organized  in  1888,  with  a  membership  of 
thirty,  by  Rev.  T.  F.  Smith.  Their  place  of  worship  is  on  B 
Street,  between  Front  and  First,  and  among  the  pastors  have 
been :  M.  E.  Svkes,  J.  H.  Clisbv,  and  M.  A.  ^Mitchell. 


REV.    W.    B     HINSON 

Who  has  been  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  since  June,  1900,  and  who  ranks  among  the 

leading  pulpit  orators  of  California 


554 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


PRESBYTI-RIANS 

The  First  Presbyterian  ("hiireh  was  organized  June  7,  1869 — 
only  two  days  after  the  Baptists,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Fraser,  mis- 
sionary of  the  Synod  of  the  Pacifie.  There  were  13  members, 
and  Charles  Rnssell  Clarke,  David  Lamb,  and  Samuel  ^lerrill 
were  elected  elders.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  S.  McDonald. 
He  began  his  hibors  in  April.  1870.  The  services  were  held  in 
private  houses  until  ]\Ir.  ^[cDonald's  arrival,  and  after  that  in 
Horton's  Hall.      Mr.  Ilorton  uave  the  society  two  lots  on  the 


OLD   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH 

Erected  on  Eighth  Street  near  D  in   1871.     The  structure   is  still   standing,   adjoining   the 
present  church  building  on  the  south,  and  is  part  of  the  church  property 


southwest  corner  of  Eighth  and  1)  Streets,  and  on  these  a  build- 
ing was  soon  after  erected,  and  dedicated  June  18,  1871,  Rev. 
W.  A.  Scott,  of  San  Francisco,  preaching  the  dedicatory  ser- 
mon. In  1888,  the  present  church  building  was  erected  and  fur- 
nished, at  a  cost  of  $36,000. 

Rev.  Mr.  McDonald  was  succeeded  in  1872  by  F.  L.  Xash. 
From  1875  to  1880  the  church  was  supplied  by  Revs.  James  Rob- 
ertson, John  W.  Partridge,  ]\Ir.  Lanman,  James  Woods,  and  Dr. 
Phelps.  Rev.  Richard  V.  Dodge  began  his  pastorate  in  1880  and 
continued  until  his  death.  Fel)ruarv  26,  1885.    For  the  following 


REV.   R.    G.    WALLACE 
First  pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 


REV.    S.    J.    SHAW 
Pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 


556  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

three  years  the  iiieunibents  were  H.  A.  Lounsbury  and  H.  I. 
Stern.  On  January  1,  1887,  Rev.  W.  B.  Noble  became  the  pas- 
tor, and  during  his  incumbency  the  present  church  was  built. 
The  church  suffered  severely  after  the  collapse  of  the  boom,  hav- 
ing a  debt  of  more  than  $20,000,  and  it  was  only  by  a  hard 
struggle  that  the  loss  of  the  property  was  ])revented.  Rev.  F. 
Merton  Smith  became  the  pastor  in  1894,  but  died  a  few  weeks 
later,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  P.  E.  Kipp,  who  died  in  1900. 
Rev.  R.  B.  Taylor  commenced  his  work  in  1901.  During  his  pas- 
torate the  church  debt  was  paid  and  the  congregation  greatly 
enlarged.  On  November  19,  1901,  Mr.  Taylor  was  drowned  in 
San  Diego  Bay.  He  was  greatly  beloved.  His  successor,  Rev. 
Harvey  S.  Jordan,  of  Newcastle,  Pennsylvania,  is  the  present 
incumbent.  The  membership  of  the  church  is  about  600.  It  is 
one  of  the  strongest  and  most  active  influences  for  good  in  the 
conmmnity.  It  has  two  AA^omen's  Missionary  Societies,  a  Ladies' 
Aid  Society,  a  large  Christian  Endeavor  membership,  and  a  num- 
ber of  missions  are  supported,  including  a  Chinese  mission,  a 
school  for  Chinese  children,  and  churches  in  several  suburban 
towns. 

The  First  United  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  on  Aug- 
ust 18,  1888,  in  the  Holt  House,  on  H  Street  near  Fifteenth,  bv 
the  installation  of  J.  W.  Collins,  J.  L.  Griffin  and  E.  T.  Hill  as 
elders,  and  the  election  of  Robert  Blair,  Daniel  Andrew,  and 
W.  L.  Flamilton  as  trustees.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Robert 
O.  Wallace,  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  church,  who  began  his 
pastorate  in  Novemlier,  1887,  and  ended  October  31,  1897.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Shaw,  D.D.,  who  is  the  pres- 
ent minister. 

HI: BREW  CONGREGATION 

The  Hebrews  of  San  Diego  have  maintained  an  organization 
since  1872.  Prior  to  that  time,  it  was  their  custom  to  meet  at 
private  houses  for  the  observance  of  fast  days.  The  Herald  of 
October  9,  1851,  says:  "The  Israelites  of  San  Diego,  faithful 
to  the  religion  of  their  forefathers,  observed  their  New  Year's 
Day  and  Days  of  Atonement,  with  due  solemnity.  The  Day  of 
Atonement  was  observed  by  Messrs.  Lewis  Franklin.  Jacob 
Marks,  and  Charles  A.  Fletcher  (the  only  three  Hebrews  in 
town)  by  their  assembling  in  the  house  of  the  former  gentleman, 
and  passing 4he  entire  day  in  fasting  and  prayers." 

The  first  organization  of  the  Hebrew  Congregation  took  place 
in  1872  at  the  house  of  Marcos  Schiller  in  Old  Town ;  it  was 
called  at  that  time  the  Hebrew  Congregation.  The  organizers 
were  Marcos  Schiller,  Joseph  Mannasse  and  E.  Loewenstein. 
Services  were  held  in  rented  halls  and  the  Unitarian  Church,  but 


THE  UNITARIANS 


557 


only  on  the  Jewish  New  Year  and  Day  oi'  Atonement.     There 
were  at  first  eighteen  members. 

In  1888j  the  congregation  was  reorganized  and  incorporated 
as  the  Congregation  Beth  Israel,  with  a  meml)ership  of  55.  The 
first  officers  were:  President,  Marcos  Scliiller  (who  served  in 
that  capacity  until  his  deatli,  in  190-1  j  ;  vice-president,  II. 
Welisch ;  secretary,  A.  Blochman ;  treasurer,  A.  Lippman.  In 
the  following  year,  a  synagogue  was  built  ;iiid  dedicated,  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Beech  and  Second  Streets.  The  first  Rabbi 
was  Samuel  Freuder.  who  organized  the  new  congregation ;  the 
second  was  A.  Danziaer,  who  served  in  1886.     E.  Freud  was 


REV.    E.    R.    WATSON 
Pastor  of  the  First  Unitarian  Society 


rabl)i  in  1887-8.  and  Dr.  Marx  Moses  from  1890  to  1894.  There 
has  been  no  rabbi  since.  The  congregation  is  small,  having  only 
22  contributing  members. 


FIRST  UNITARIAN  SOCIETY 

The  First  Unitarian  Society  began  in  a  Sunday-school  which 
was  organized  and  held  for  the  first  time  in  Horton's  Hall.  June 
22,  1873.    Mr.  ITorton  gave  the  use  of  the  hall  and  organ.     C.  S. 


558  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Hamilton  was  chosen  president ;  Mrs.  Knapp,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer;  Mrs.  Haight.  musical  director,  and  ^liss  Carrie  Hills,  organ- 
ist. The  attendance  increased  from  13  to  50,  and  Rev.  Joseph 
]\Ia^'  became  the  pastor.  Among  the  early  members  were  M.  A. 
Luce,  C.  S.  Hamilton,  A.  E.  Horton.  E.  W.  Morse,  J.  H.  Simp- 
son, I\Ir.  Hubon.  A.  Overbaugh,  and  their  families.  The  first 
public  service  was  on  Easter  Sunday.  1874.  At  a  meeting  held 
■March  11.  1877,  Rev.  David  A.  Cronyn  was  chosen  pastor.  M. 
A.  Luce  became  president  of  the  Society  at  the  same  meeting,  and 
has  acted  in  that  capacity  ever  since. 

The  society  was  incorporated  in  January,  1882.  A  lot  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Tenth  and  F  Streets  was  purchased  and  the 
tirst  church  building  erected  there  in  that  year,  and  dedicated 
August  26,  1883.  Rev.  Horatio  Stebbins,  of  San  Francisco,  deliv- 
ered the  sermon  and  Rev.  George  H.  Deere,  of  Riverside,  assisted. 
Additions  were  made  to  this  buildiiig  in  1887.  This  building  was 
burned  on  Sunday  afternoon.  February  17,  1895.  Following 
this,  the  society  occupied  the  old  Louis  Opera  House.  They  then 
leased  a  lot  on  the  west  side  of  Sixth  Street,  between  C  and  D, 
and  built  the  presejit  T'nity  Hall  upon  it.  The  society  also  owns 
a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  and  C  Streets,  upon  which  it  is  plan- 
ning to  place  a  new  building  at  an  earlv  date.  The  pastors,  after 
those  named,  were:  B.  F.  ^IcDaniel,'l887  to  1892;  J.  F.  Dut- 
ton,  from  1894;  Solon  Lauer,  from  1895:  Elijali  R.  "Watson,  from 
1899  to  the  present  time.     The  membership  is  about  200. 

FIRST  SPIRITUAL  SOCIETY 

The  First  Spiritualist  Society  was  incorporated  in  July.  1885. 
Services  were  heldjn  Lafayette  Hall  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1903  the  society  built  its  hall  on  Seventh  Street  between  A  and  B. 
The  building  cost  about  $6,000,  and  was  dedicated  in  March, 
1904.     Clara  A.  Beck  is  president  of  the  society. 

COXGREGA  TIONALISTS 

Many  of  the  Congregationalists  who  came  to  new  San  Diego 
at  an  early  day  affiliated  with  the  Presbyterians.  But  in  Aug- 
ust, 1886,  it  was  felt  that  the  time  had  come  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  church  of  their  own  faith.  Twelve  of  these  people  met 
at  the  home  of  Frank  A.  Stephens,  on  Tenth  and  F  Streets,  and 
made  a  preliminary  organization.  These  were :  ]\Ir.  and  ]Mrs. 
Frank  A.  Stephens,  who  now  live  in  Los  Angeles;  Arch.  Ste- 
phens and  J.  P.  Davies,  who  are  now  deceased ;  and  ]Mr.  and  ]\Irs. 
George  W.  :\rarston,  ]\Ir.  and  :\rrs.  :\r.  T.  Gilmore,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  II.  Smith,  Mrs.  Arch.  Stephens  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Davies, 
who  are  still  active  workers  in  the  church.      The  congregation 


THE  CONGREGATIONALISTS 


559 


was  oriianized  a  moiitli  later,  with  Rev.  J.  II.  Ilurwood  as  pastor, 
and  78  iiieiiil)ers.  The  tii'st  public  service  was  held  in  the  Y.  m! 
C.  A.  rooms  in  Dunham's  Hall,  on  Fifth  Street,  October  10.  1886. 
This  hall  was  soon  too  small  for  the  congreg-ation.  A  lot  was 
leased  on  llic  corner  of  State  and  F  Streets  and  a  tabernacle 
erected.  This  l)uildin.u-  was  completed  in  January.  1887,  and  ded- 
icated the  following  month.  It  was  in  18!)G,  during  the  pastor- 
ate of  Rev.  Stephen  A.  Norton  and  largely  through  his  efforts. 


FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 


that  the  present  church  building  was  constructed.  The  move- 
ment began  in  February,  and  at  one  meeting  on  ^lay  10th, 
$17,000  were  subscribed  for  the  jiurjiose.  A  lot  on  the  north- 
M^est  corner  of  Sixth  and  A  Streets  was  purchased;  the  corner 
stone  was  laid  in  November,  1896,  and  the  church  was  completed 
and  dedicated  on  July  4,  1897.  This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
church  edifices  in  the  city.  It  cost  $23,500,  and  with  the  ground 
is  today  worth  probably  $50,000.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
800.  The  church  is  a  strong  and  active  one,  with  a  memliership 
of  464,  and  supports  a  number  of  activities — among  othere,  a 
foreio'ii  missionarv. 


560  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Rev.  Mr.  HarAvood  was  succeeded,  near  the  close  of  1887,  by 
Rev.  J.  B.  Silcox,  of  AVinnipeg,  .Maiiitol)a,  who  served  until  Aug- 
ust, 1889,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  E.  A. 
Field,  W.  C.  Merrill,  and  Stephen  A.  Norton,  respectively.  The 
latter  remained  seven  years.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  Clar- 
ence T.  Brown,  who  came  in  I'JOS. 

The  Second  Congregational  Church,  known  as  the  Logan 
Heights  Church,  had  its  beginning  on  the  second  Sunday  in 
November.  1887,  when  Rev.  A.  B.  White,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  began 
to  preach  in  the  schoolhouse  on  Twenty-seventh  Street.  On  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1888,  the  church  building  at  Twenty-sixth  Street  and 
Kearney  Avenue  was  dedicated,  Mr.  Silcox  preaching  the  ser- 
mon. The  Land  &  Town  Company  gave  the  lots  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Congregational  Church  contributed  liberally  to 
the  building  fund.  Mr.  White  resigned  in  the  following  Aug-- 
ust,  and  F.  B.  Perkins  became  the  pastor.  He  remained  two 
years  and  resigned  in  1890.  George  A.  Hall  was  then  the  pastor 
until  March  24,  1895.  His  successor  was  R.  T.  Earl,  who  min- 
istered until  1902.  Since  then  J.  L.  Pearson  and  Henry  M. 
Lyman  have  supplied  the  pulpit.  Rev.  E.  E.  P.  Abbott  is  now 
the  resident  pastor. 

The  Chinese  Mission,  organized  in  1885,  is  sustained  by  the 
American  Missionary  Association  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

CENTRAL  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 

The  Central  Christian  Church  was  organized  October  27,  1886, 
with  28  charter  members.  Rev.  R.  G.  Hand  was  the  first  min- 
ister. Henry  Drury  and  W.  B.  Cloyd  were  elected  elders,  and 
B.  F.  Boone,  John  Coates,  and  A.  J.  Burns,  deacons.  The  first 
meetings  were  held  in  various  halls.  During  the  boom,  the 
church  purchased  its  first  lot,  on  Thirteenth  Street  between  F 
and  G.  Here  a  frame  church  was  built  and  the  first  service  in 
it  held  on  December  11,  1887,  the  sermon  being'  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Johnson . 

Mr.  Hand  remained  only  a  few  months  and  was  succeeded  by 
A.  B.  Griffith,  who  remained  less  than  a  year.  For  a  year  after 
this  the  pastor  was  John  L.  Brant,  now  a  noted  preacher.  Rev. 
A.  B.  Markle  came  next  and  remained  three  years.  In  1893  B.  C. 
Hagerman  became  the  pastor  and  served  two  years.  In  1895  the 
present  pastorate  began  under  W.  E.  Crabtree. 

The  church  was  i^egularly  incorporated  in  1899.  Two  years 
later  the  lot  on  the  southeast  eorner  of  Ninth  and  F  Streets  was 
purchased,  later  an  adjoining  lot  added,  and  the  church  building 
removed  to  the  new  location.  Upon  this  ground  a  very  substan- 
tial and  beautiful  church  building  is  soon  to  be  erected,  at  a  cost 
of  $25,000.  During  its  early  years  the  church  had  a  hard  strug- 
gle, but  is  now  prosperous.     The  church  has  a  number  of  well- 


DISCIPLES  OF  CHRIST 


561 


sustained  activities  and  is  one  of  the  most  aggressive  and  influ- 
ential elements  in  the  religions  life  of  the  city. 

The  Seventh  Day  Adventist  Church  was  organized  January  21, 
1888,  with  a  membership  of  10.  Their  church  at  Eighteenth  and 
G  Streets  was  immediately  occupied.  It  has  a  seating  capacity 
of  350,  and  the  society  owns  it  free  of  debt,  with  a  lot  100x176 
feet.  The  first  pastor  was  Elder  W.  M.  Ilealey.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Elder  IT.  A.  St.  John.  The  present  elder  is  Frederick 
I.  Richardson. 


REV.    W.    E.    CRABTREE 
Pastor  of  the  Central  Christian  Church 

FIRST  UTllERAN  CIII'RCIl 

The  First  Lutheran  Church  was  organized  March  18,  1888, 
with  31  members.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized  the  previous 
month  by  Prof.  F.  P.  Davidson.  C.  W.  Ileisler,  of  Los  Angeles, 
aided  in  the  organization.  The  first  officers  were :  F.  P.  David- 
son and  A.  W.  Smenner,  elders,  and  Isaac  Ilrick,  H.  Seebold, 
and  R.  H.  Young,  deacons.  E.  R.  Wagner  was  chosen  pastor, 
and  conducted  his  first  service  October  21.  1888,  in  Good  Tem- 
plars' Hall  on  Third  Street.     Services  were  soon  after  removed 


562  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

to  Louis  Opera  House  and  held  there  for  six  months,  then  in  the 
old  Methoclist  Church.  The  congregation  then  purchased  the  lot 
where  the  present  church  building  stands.  The  church  building 
was  begun  in  1893,  the  cornerstone  laid  on  July  30th.  and  the 
dedication  made  April  8,  1894.  The  building  has  a  seating  capac- 
ity of  700.  The  value  of  the  property  is  now  estimated  at 
.$20,000. 

Dr.  Wagner  resigned  November  1.  1891,  and  was  succeeded  in 
February,  1892,  by  C.  W.  INIaggart,  of  Salina,  Kansas.  He  served 
until  October  17,  1897,  when  he  resigned.  The  present  pastor, 
John  E.  Hoick,  began  his  pastorate  March  10,  1898.  The  church 
is  out  of  debt  and  prosperous,  and  numbers  about  150  members. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  has  a  handsome 
building  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-fourth  Street  and  Grant  Ave- 
nue. The  congregation  numbers  over  100.  Rev.  G.  W.  F.  Kiessel 
is  the  pastor. 

The  Friends  have  a  meeting-house  at  1121  Sixth  Street.  Adell 
Burkhead  is  the  minister. 

The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints  (IMormons) 
maintains  an  organization,  which  meets  at  No.  752  Fifth  Street. 

The  Christian  Scientists  make  the  latest  addition  to  the  city's 
congregations,  wdth  an  unique  building  on  the  southeast  corner 
of  Ash  and  Third  Streets,  completed  and  occupied  this  year.  C. 
H.  Clark  is  the  reader  to  this  active  organization. 

The  Union  Church  at  La  Jolla  is  an  unique  organization. 
There  not  being  sufficient  population  to  support  separate  denom- 
inations, the  people  of  all  denominations  united  and  organized  a 
Union  Church,  on  March  11,  1897.  It  was  incorporated  in  the 
following  October.  The  first  pastor  was  William  L.  Johnson, 
tw^o  years :  the  next,  J.  L.  Pearson,  three  years.  The  present 
pastor  is  Mr.  Lathe.  Daniel  Cleveland,  of  San  Diego,  conducted 
services  during  the  intervals  between  the  different  pastors.  In 
1905,  the  Episcopalians  formed  a  separate  organization  in  La 
Jolla  and  now  have  regular  services.  Recently,  the  Presbyterians 
also  took  similar  action.  The  T^nion  Church,  however,  was  never 
so  strong  and  active  as  at  present. 

The  Peniel  ^fission,  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  the  Help- 
ing Hand  Missio]!,  and  a  number  of  other  missionary  organiza- 
tions, as  well  as  the  Salvation  Army,  are  actively  represented. 

YOUNG  MEN'S  C II RISTLIN  ASSOC LATION 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  is  so  strong  and  its 
work  so  important  that  it  is  believed  a  somewhat  full  and  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  its  growth  is  warranted. 


GROWTH  OF  THE  Y.  M.  C.  A.  563 

The  association  was  or^aiii/ccl  in  March,  1882,  and  for  a  few 
iiioiitlis  held  its  meetinjijs  in  Ilnhbell's  TTall,  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  F  Streets.  There  is  no  record  of  any  active  work  in 
1883,  bnt  in  Jnne,  1884,  it  was  reorizanized  and  the  old  Masonic 
Hall,  on  Fifth  Street,  rented  for  its  nse.  at  ^~y  per  month.  In 
Aniiiist.  1885,  C.  L.  Stnrges  was  engaticd  as  ueneral  secretary, 
and  from  this  time  on  an  open  room  for  yoniii'-  men's  use  was 
maintained.  In  May,  1886,  J.  A.  Rogers  was  elected  peneral  sec- 
retary, with  the  modest  salary  of  $35  per  month  and  the  use  of 
a  small  room  in  the  rear  of  the  hall,  and  continned  in  the  position 
till  July,  1890. 

Mr.  Rogers  had  remarkable  success  in  building  up  the  associa- 
tion. Ilis  character  was  an  interesting  and  noble  one.  Althongh 
probably  not  over  sixty  years  of  age,  his  white  hair  and  partial 
blindness  gave  him  an  older  appearance ;  yet  he  was  a  fresh,  vig- 
orous, cheerful  man,  with  power  to  please  and  attach  boys  and 
young  men.  He  had  been  a  locomotive  engineer  and  ran  a  fast 
express  out  of  New  York  City.  Withoiit  technical  training,  he 
was  nevertheless  admii-ably  fitted  for  the  peculiar  pioneer  work 
in  the  exciting  times  of  1887  and  1888.  Hundreds  of  young  men 
came  under  his  friendly  Christian  influence.  The  little  Dunham 
House  Hall,  on  Fifth  Street,  was  the  scene  of  crowded  Sunday 
meetings  and  many  social  gatherings  and  entertainments. 

The  association  had  no  gymnasium  in  those  days,  but  as  early 
as  1886  three  or  four  classes  had  been  formed,  the  principal  one 
being  foi-  the  study  of  Spanish.  The  members  were  active  in  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  also  paid  regular  visits  to  the  county  jail. 
The  rapid  growth  in  ]Mr.  Rogers'  administration  is  shown  by  the 
treasurer's  expense  account,  the  rent  being  increased  in  the  first 
year  from  $5  to  $40  per  month  and  the  secretary's  salary  from 
$35  to  $75.  In  1887  the  association  bought  two  lots  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Seventh  and  G  Streets.  Plans  for  a  building  to 
cost  about  $80,000  were  drawn  and  bids  for  its  construction 
received;  but  the  collapse  of  the  boom,  early  in  1888,  prevented 
the  accomplishment  of  this  design.  Early  in  1888  the  association 
moved  to  rooms  on  Seventh  Street,  .iust  jiorth  of  G,  whei'c  it  was 
proposed  to  build,  and  a  large  reading  room  was  fitted  up  on  the 
first  floor.  The  membership  at  that  time  was  200.  Later  in  the 
year,  owing  to  high  rent  ($150  per  month),  another  move  was 
made,  to  the  two-story  residence  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
Eighth  and  G  Streets. "  The  whole  house  was  occupied,  and  here 
the  association  had,  for  the  first  time,  a  number  of  convenient 
class-rooms.  But  the  financial  stringency  compelled  another 
move  in  a  few  months,  and  the  association  then  took  up  its  quar- 
ters in  a  one-story  building  on  the  west  side  of  Sixth  Sti-eet 
between  E  and  F,  w-here  it  remained  for  about  a  year. 


564  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

111  Uctubcr,  1889,  a  complete  change  was  made  iii  the  director- 
ate, the  following  being  chosen :  J.  E.  Hall,  J.  C.  Packard, 
Henry  Siebold,  W.  E.  Howard,  Dr.  Hurlburt,  John  P.  Lewis,  and 
L.  P.  Davidson.  Mr.  Rogers  remained  as  secretary,  and  J.  E. 
Hall  was  elected  president ;  a  month  later  he  was  succeeded  by 
C.  D.  Todd,  who  served  till  June,  1890,  when  he  resigned  and 
W.  E.  Howard  was  chosen  and  served  till  the  end  of  the  associa- 
tion year. 

During  the  year  1890,  tlie  association  moved  into  the  Turn- 
verein  Hall,  on  Eighth  Street  between  G  and  H,  and  opened  a 
well  equipped  gymnasium,  with  Professor  Hoeh  in  charge.  Not- 
withstanding great  financial  difficulties,  excellent  work  was  done. 
Mr.  Rogers  withdrew  in  July,  having  been  called  to  ministerial 
service  in  one  of  the  country  churches. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  new  association  year,  in  October,  1890, 
important  changes  were  made.  George  W.  Marston  was  elected 
president,  Giles  Kellogg  vice-president,  and  Philip  Morse  record- 
ing secretary.  John  McTaggart  was  elected  general  secretary, 
and  filled  the  position  with  marked  ability  and  devotion  for  four 
vears.  Prominent  workers  in  the  association  about  this  time 
were:  C.  D.  Todd,  W.  E.  Howard,  W.  R.  Guy,  Watson  Parrish, 
A.  L.  Bachmann,  Henrv  Siebold,  L.  P.  Davidson,  Herbert  Wvlie, 
Irving  McMahon,  E.  S.  Gillan,  E.  A.  Churcher,  and  M.  T.  Gil- 
more.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1891,  a  resolution  of  thanks  was 
adopted  in  gratitude  for  the  large  membership  and  payment  of 
all  debts. 

In  1893  it  became  evident  that  a  location  nearer  the  center  of 
town  would  be  more  desiralile.  Rooms  in  the  Express  Block 
were  therefore  rented  from  January  1,  1894,  which  were  head- 
quarters for  a  year  and  four  months.  At  the  close  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Taggart's  secretaryship,  in  September,  1894,  W.  E.  Neelands 
was  secretary  for  a  few  months.  In  April,  1895,  a  lease  was 
signed  with  I^.  S.  Grant.  Jr.,  for  the  second  floor  of  his  new 
building  at  the  cornei-  of  Sixth  and  D  Streets,  at  an  annual  rental 
of  $1,000.  Mr.  Grant  arranged  the  room  as  the  association 
desired.  The  floor  space  was  75x100  feet,  which  gave  room  for 
a  lecture  hall,  gymnasium,  baths,  reading  room,  and  several  social 
and  class  rooms.  This  was  the  home  of  the  associati(Ui  for  ten 
years. 

In  May,  1895,  George  A.  ^Miller  (now  a  ]\Iethodist  minister  in 
Manila)  became  secretary  of  the  association.  Under  his  vigorous 
management,  in  its  new  quarters,  the  association  started  on  its 
larger  career.  In  the  first  quarter  of  1896  it  gained  very  rap- 
idly, receiving  nearly  300  new  members.  J.  P.  Smith  ])ecame 
general  secretary  in  the  fall  of  1896  and  filled  the  office  till 
March,  1903 — the  longest  service  of  any  secretary.  He  was  the 
first  secretary  with  much  experience  in  association  work.     Be- 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  QUARTERS  565 

sides  this  training,  he  had  a  fine  enthusiasm  and  genuine  sym- 
pathy for  the  young.  Under  his  careful  and  faithful  admin- 
istration, the  Y.  I\r.  C.  A.  carried  on  its  four-fold  activities- 
religious,  social,  physical,  and  educational — with  steady  power 
and  usefulness.  As  physical  director,  Fred  A.  Crosby  was 
employed  for  five  years.  He  made  marlced  improvements  in 
the  gynniasium  and  exerted  a  fine  infkience  over  the  younger 
boys.  Professors  Davidson  and  Freeman,  of  the  public  "schools, 
gave  the  association  valuable  services  in  forming  its  educa- 
tional course.  Will  II.  liolcomb  was  especially  active  in  build- 
ing up  the  gymnasium,  and  many  others  contributed  in  vari- 
ous ways  to  the  progress  of  the  association. 


\ 


T 

f 


.  *.,xl^ 


•«.—»*     -  — — -T 


NEW   HOME   OF   THE   Y.    M.   C.    A. 

On  the  corner  of  Eigrhth  and  C  Streets 


The  association  has  alwa.^s  been  deeply  indebted  to  the 
Ladies'  Central  Committee  for  contributions  of  money,  fur- 
nishings for  rooms,  and  constant  service  in  social  affairs.  Dur- 
ing Mr.  Smith's  secretaryship  and  for  two  or  three  years  after, 
Mrs.  V.  D.  Rood  was  the  inspiring  leader  of  the  ladies'  work 
and  made  it  one  of  the  most  successful  organizations  of  its 
kind  in  the  state.  In  1899,  George  W.  Marston  declined  fur- 
ther re-election  to  the  presidency,  having  served  in  that  capac- 
ity every  year,  save  one,  since  the  organization  of  the  associa- 
tion.    He  is  still  a  member  of  the  board  of  directoi-s.     Philip 


566  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

Morse,  ^^"ho  had  been  an  active  member  and  valuable  director 
for  several  years,  was  chosen  to  succeed  Mr.  ]\Iarston.  In  1900, 
"Will  H.  Holcomb  became  president,  and  he  has  filled  the  office, 
most  acceptably,  from  that  time  to  the  present,  guiding  the 
association's  affairs  with  great  tact  and  ability.  During  his 
presidency,  large  things  have  been  undertaken  and  great 
changes  made. 

During  the  winter  of  1902-03  a  very  determined  effort  was 
made  to  provide  for  the  payment  of  a  debt  of  about  $4,000 
Avhich  had  gradually  accnied  in  past  years.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Sutherland,  the  state  secretary,  subscriptions  to  the 
amount  of  $9,000  were  secured.  These  subscriptions,  payable 
half  in  1903  and  half  in  1904.  were  collected,  for  the  most  part, 
and,  united  with  the  membership  fees,  enabled  the  association 
to  reach  the  year  1905  with  current  expenses  paid  and  the 
debt  reduced  to  $1,000. 

In  the  summer  of  1903,  Eoy  H.  Campbell  became  general 
secretary  and  E.  A.  ]\Ierwin  physical  director.  Under  Mr. 
CampbeH's  very  able  management  great  interest  was  aroused 
among  the  boys  and  young  men.  Athletic  activities  and  social 
affairs  were  specially  prominent.  Several  radical  changes  in 
methods  of  work  were  adopted  in  1903-04,  among  them,  the 
discontinuance  of  Sunday  afternoon  religious  mass  meetings 
and  the  substitution  of  smaller  group  meetings  for  Bible  study. 
Great  efforts  were  made  to  bring  into  association  influence  the 
younger  classes  of  young  men,  and  this  was  successfully 
accomplished. 

It  became  evident  early  in  1905  that  the  association's  quar- 
ters were  already  inadequate  in  size  and  convenience,  and, 
after  careful  consideration,  the  residence  property  at  the  north- 
east corner  of  Eighth  and  C  Streets  was  purchased.  A  large, 
substantial  house,  with  ample  ground  for  building  extensions, 
was  thus  secured  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  In  order  to  build  a 
gymnasium  ad.ioining  the  house,  make  necessary  repairs  and 
changes,  and  provide  for  a  large  part  of  the  current  expenses, 
the  association  undertook  to  raise  a  fund  of  $32,000.  Secre- 
tary Campbell  devoted  himself  to  the  task  for  many  weeks, 
assisted  by  many  friends  of  the  association.  It  was  impossi- 
ble to  obtain  cash  donations  for  such  a  sum,  but  by  accepting 
subscriptions  payable  over  a  period  of  two  yeare,  the  full 
amount  was  pledged  without  mortgaging  its  property,  and  the 
association  secured  sufficient  loaned  money  to  carry  its  finances 
during  the  two  years. 

In  October,  1905.  the  old  rooms  at  Sixth  and  D  Streets  were 
left  and  the  removal  made  to  the  new  house.  The  gymnasium, 
costing  $G,000,  was  built  in  the  following  months,  and  in  May,. 


THE  NEW  BUILDING 


567 


1!)0(),  the  completed  new  association  quarters  were  occupied 
and  placed  in  full  use.  This  happy  consummation  was  not 
attained  without  toil  and  saeritice.  To  the  sorrow  of  all,  Sec- 
retai'N'  Campbell's  health  broke  down  from  overwork  and  ner- 
vous strain,  just  before  the  close  of  the  financial  canvass.  He 
had  planned  and  led  all  the  work  with  untiring  zeal  until  suc- 
cess was  in  sight,  but  was  obliged  to  resign  the  office  in  Decem- 
ber, 1905.  Mr.  Campbell's  services  to  the  San  Diego  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  were  remarkabl.y  strong.  Full  of  youthful  enthusiasm 
himself,  he  attracted  and  influenced  other  young  men  with 
power  and  moral  helpfulness.  In  all  the  activities  of  associa- 
tion life  he  was  efficient  and  forceful. 

In  January,  1906.  Earle  Davenport  Smith  was  engaged  as  gen- 
eral secretary,  and  a  little  later  Albert  N.  Morris  as  physical 
director.  Mr.  Smith  found  a  hea\y  w^ork  of  organization  on 
his  hands,  owing  to  several  months'  interruption  of  regular, 
systematic  management.  He  attacked  it  vigorously  and  at  this 
writing  (November,  1906)  has  an  efficient  organization  and  the 
best  facilities  for  complete  association  service  that  this  city  has 
ever  enjoyed. 


FLORAL  TRIBUTE  ON  FATHER  UBACH'S  GRAVE 


CHAPTER  11 


SCHOOLS  AND  EDUCATION 


iN  EARLY  Spanish  days  in  California,  the 
opportunities  for  education  were  extremely 
limited.  The  members  of  the  wealthy  class 
usually  had  some  education,  but  few  of  the 
lower  classes  could  read  or  write.  There  were 
no  estal)lished  schools  outside  the  missions, 
but  it  was  customary  for  the  mothers  of  fam- 
ilies to  teacli  their  children  what  they  could. 
The  story  of  the  struggle  for  education  is  a  pathetic  page  in 
early  California  history.  The  governors  were  in  favor  of  edu- 
cation, as  a  rule,  but  they  received  no  support  whatever  from 
the  missionaries  and  almost  none  from  the  other  inhabitants. 
It  was,  indeed,  the  deliberate  policy  of  Spain  to  keep  its  colonial 
subjects  in  ignorance,  on  the  mistaken  theory  that  this  would 
prevent  the  growth  of  discontent.  After  the  change  to  Mexican 
rule  the  cause  of  education  received  only  a  lukewarm  support 
from  the  general  government.  The  missionaries  were  at  all 
times  firmly  opposed  to  popular  education,  which  now  seems  to 
us  a  singular  thing  when  it  is  recalled  that  they  were  men  of 
culture;  but  this  was  entirely  consistent  with  the  policy  of  the 
Church  and  of  Spain,  at  the  time. 

As  early  as  1793,  Viceroy  Gigedo  ordered  that  schools  should 
be  established  for  both  the  Spanish  and  Indian  children.  The 
wily  missionaries  professed  oberlience.  but  soon  found  an  excuse 
for  non-compliance  in  a  mythical  lack  of  funds.  A  few  persons 
supposed  to  be  competent  to  teach  were  found,  and  in  1794  or 
1795  Manuel  de  Vargas,  a  retired  sergeant  of  San  Jose,  who  had 
opened  there  the  first  school  in  California,  came  to  San  Diego 
and  began  to  teach.  How  long  this  school  continued  we  do  not 
know,  but  probably  not  very  long,  and  if  de  Vargas  was  like 
the  other  retired  officers  Avho  were  selected  for  teachers  at  the 
time,  his  qualifications  were  very  slight.  In  1795  a  tax  was  lev- 
ied for  the  support  of  the  schools,  but  they  languished,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  century  had  been  abandoned. 

During  the  rule  of  Governor  Sola,  from  1814  to  1821,  schools 
were  again  opened.  Settlers  and  invalided  soldiers  were  em- 
ployed, Avho  taught  reading,  writing,  and  religion.  Pio  Pico, 
who  was  one  of  a  class  taught  at  San  Gabriel  in  1813  by  Jose 


STRUGGLE  FOR  EDUCATION  569 

Antonio  Carrillo,  said  that  part  of  his  work  consisted  of  cov- 
ering several  quires  of  paper,  from  a  copy,  with  the  name 
"Senor  Don  Felix  Maria  Callejas. "  Sola  was  earnest  in  his 
desire  to  aid  the  cause  of  education  and  spent  his  own  means 
freely  in  the  effort.  He  imported  two  Spanish  professors 
with  a  view  to  founding  a  high  school  at  Monterey,  but  the 
learned  gentlemen  found  the  conditions  so  unpromising  that 
they  remained  only  a  few  weeks.  The  missionaries  were  hos- 
tile, the  people  apathetic,  and  Sola  was  obliged  to  abandon  the 
undertaking. 

In  1824  Governor  Argiiellu  called  the  attention  of  the  assem- 
bly to  the  subject  of  education,  but  nothing  was  done. 

Echeandia  was  also  a  friend  of  education  and  tried  to  accom- 
plish something.  Before  coming  to  California,  he  engaged  the 
services  of  two  teachers  of  primary  schools;  but  when  they 
reached  Acapulco  they  could  proceed  no  farther  because  the 
province  was  unable  to  pay  their  passage  to  Monterey.  Shortly 
after  Echeandia 's  arrival,  the  assembly,  at  the  governor's  sug- 
gestion, requested  the  goverinnent  to  send  a  few  masters  for  pri- 
mary schools,  at  his  own  cost;  but  this  request  was  refused. 
Having  failed  to  secure  results  through  civil  authorities,  Eche- 
andia ordered  the  commanding  officers  to  compel  parents  to  send 
their  children  to  the  schools  which  he  had  established.  This  had 
some  effect,  and  by  the  year  1829  there  were— on  paper— 11 
primary  schools  in  the  territory,  with  an  enrollment  of  339 
pupils. 

A  few  details  of  the  school  which  was  taught  in  San  Diego 
at  this  period  have  come  down  to  us.  It  was  maintained  from 
August,  1828,  to  December,  1829,  with  an  enrollment  of  18 
pupils.  The  teacher  was  Friar  Antonio  Menendez,  and  his  sal- 
ary was  $18  per  month.  From  the  accounts  which  have  come 
down  of  this  friar's  character  and  attainments,  there  is  slight 
doubt  that  he  was,  if  possible,  even  more  unfit  for  the  work  than 
the  retired  soldiers  usually  selected,  who  were  often  barely  able 
to  read  and  write. 

But  Echeandia,  like  his  predecessors,  found  that  zeal  alone 
could  not  prevail  against  his  heavy  handicaps.  Toward  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  stormy  administration  he  seems  to  have  aban- 
doned the  unequal  contest  and  surrendered  the  field  to  the  forces 

of  darkness. 

In  May,  1834,  Governor  Figueroa  reported  that  there  were 
primarv  schools  at  only  three  places,  San  Diego  not  being  one 
of  the  three.  In  the  following  February,  the  same  official  advised 
the  alcalde  of  San  Diego  that  parents  need  not  send  their  chil- 
dren to  school,  if  they  found  it  inconvenient. 


570  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

Govei'iioi'  Alvarado  was  a  believer  in  education,  but  his  ett'orts 
were  no  more  successful  than  those  of  his  predecessors.  In  the 
fourth  year  of  iiis  rule,  he  deehired  there  was  scarcely  a  school 
in  the  whole  territory.  Micheltoreiia  and  Pico  both  struggled 
with  the  problem,  in  vain.  On  May  1,  1844,  the  former  issued 
a  decree  providing  for  the  opening  of  schools  (with  a  solemn 
mass)  on  the  first  day  of  the  following  June;  but  this  order 
was  obeyed  in  only  a  few  places,  and  in  those  few  it  was  found 
impossible  to  raise  money  to  pay  the  teachers. 

The  dearth  of  education  and  of  schools  was  as  great  when  the 
Americans  took  possession  of  the  country  as  it  had  been  in  1800 
• — perhaps  greater.  Very  often  the  commanding  officer  of  a  gar- 
rison had  to  request  that  a  man  qualified  to  act  as  amanuensis 
be  sent  to  him  from  another  presidio.  The  commissioned  officers 
had  only  the  rudiments  of  an  education  and  the  civil  authorities 
were  in  many  cases  little  better  off.  Pio  Pico  once  went  to  Los 
Angeles  at  a  time  he  Avas  out  of  favor  with  the  alcalde  of  that 
place.  Being  told  that  he  would  not  be  received  without  a  pass- 
port he  forged  one.  knowing  the  alcalde  was  illiterate,  and  pre- 
sented it  upon  his  arrival.  The  alcalde  took  and  pretended  to 
read  it.  then  returned  it  to  Pico  and  expressed  himself  as  being 
perfectly  satisfied. 

Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  city  government,  steps 
were  taken  to  establish  a  public  school.  The  minutes  of  the 
council  show  the  following  entry  under  date  of  November  7, 
1850:  ''The  mayor  made  a  verbal  communication  to  the  coun- 
cil, stating  that  a  lady  was  in  the  place  who  had  the  reputation 
of  being  a  good  teacher  and  who  is  desirous  of  opening  a  school. 
He  recommended  that  the  large  room  in  the  Town  House  be 
appropriated  for  a  school  room."  This  lady  was  ]\Iiss  Dillon. 
The  front  room  of  the  Town  House  was  set  apart  for  the  pur- 
pose. l)ut  ]Miss  Dillon  thought  it  unsuitable  and  declined  to 
teach  in  it.  The  city  marshal  was  thereupon  instructed  to  find 
a  suitable  room  to  be  rented,  and  he  proceeded  to  let  two  rooms 
in  his  own  house  to  the  council,  for  which  he  was  to  receive  $60 
per  month  for  the  first  six  months  and  $40  per  month  there- 
after. Bills  amounting  to  $155.69  for  furniture  for  the  school 
were  i^aid.  The  teacher's  salary  was  fixed  at  not  exceeding 
$1,200  per  annum,  and  there  is  a  record  of  one  month's  salary 
being  paid,  at  the  end  of  February,  1851.  How  long  the  school 
continued  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain,  but  apparently  it  was  not 
long,  and  in  the  two  or  three  years  following  it  was  kept  open 
very  irregularly,  if  at  all.  On  July  30,  1853,  the  Herald  said: 
"A  short  time  since,  one  of  the  ward  schools  in  this  city  which 
had  been  closed  for  a  time  was  re-opened."  This  was  the  occa- 
sion on  which,  the  trustees  having  distributed  a  circular  giving 


FIRST  REGULAR  SCHOOLS  571 

notice  of  the  opening'  of  the  school  and  iuviting  all  parents  to 
send  their  children,  Father  Juan  Holbein  foi'bade  the  members 
of  his  flock  to  do  so.  The  name  of  the  teacher  of  this  school  does 
not  appear. 

The  beginning  of  the  period  of  steady  maintenance  of  the  pnb- 
lic  schools  in  San  Diego  dates  from  July  ],  1854.  The  county 
had  received  no  part  of  the  state  school  funds  for  that  year,  on 
account  of  its  failure  to  maintain  a  school  for  at  least  three 
months  prior  to  the  first  day  of  October  the  year  before.  In 
order  that  this  should  not  happen  again,  hurried  action  was 
taken  on  the  date  named.  E.  AV.  Morse  gave  the  following 
account :  "  Up  to  July  1,  1854,  there  had  been  no  public  school 
in  San  Diego  County,  but  on  that  day  the  county  court  being 
in  session.  Cave  J.  Couts,  the  .judge,  appointed  William  C.  Fer- 
rell  county  superintendent  of  schools,  who  at  once  appointed 
£.  V.  Shelby  census  marshal,  and  J.  W.  Robinson,  Louis  Rose, 
and  E.  W.  Morse  school  trustees  for  the  whole  county.  Within 
a  few  houi-s  the  trustees  had  received  the  marshal 's  report,  had 
hired  a  room  for  the  school,  and  employed  a  teacher,  so  that 
before  night  a  public  school  was  in  full  operation  under  the 
school  law  of  the  state."  ]\Ir.  Morse,  although  always  accurate 
and  clear-headed,  had  evidently  forgotten  the  earlier  attempts 
at  a  school;  and  the  appointment  which  Ferrell  received  was 
that  of  assessor  (the  office  being  vacant  on  account  of  George 
Lyons'  refusal  to  qualify),  and  the  law  then  making'  the  assessor 
ex-ofpcio  superintendent  of  public  schools.  The  teacher  employed 
was  J\liss  Fanny  Stevens.  On  December  2d,  the  Herald  stated 
that  she  had  about  30  pupils ;  and  it  may  fairly  be  said  that  she 
was  the  first  teacher  who  established  and  maintained  a  i)nblic 
school  in  San  Diego. 

From  this  time  on,  the  school  was  maintained  with  regularity 
and  statistics  beg'in  to  be  available.  In  October,  1855,  School 
^Marshal  Thomas  E.  Darnall  reported  117  children  of  school  age 
in  the  county.  In  1856,  Joshua  Sloane  taught  in  San  Diego 
from  January  21st  to  ]\Iarch  21st,  at  a  salary  of  $75  per  month, 
and  had  an  enrollment  of  32.  The  branches  taught  were: 
Orthography,  reading-,  writing,  geography,  arithmetic,  and  Eng- 
lish grammar.  W.  H.  Leighton  was  then  the  teacher  for  three 
months  beginning  July  7th,  at  a  salary  of  $50,  and  had  an 
enrollment  of  29.  He  taught  the  same  branches,  excepting  gram- 
mar, and  also  taught  history,  geometry,  algebra,  French,  and 
Spanish. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  Leighton  taught  four  months  at  a  sal- 
ary of  $75.  In  the  fall.  James  Nichols  taught  3  1-3  months  at 
$60,  and  had  49  pu])ils  enrolled.  There  were  138  children  of 
school  age  in  the  countv.     Nichols  taught  both  the  spring  and 


572 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


fall  terms  in  1858,  also  a  foui'-moiiths  tenii  in  1859.  By  the 
year  1860,  the  pupils  of  school  age  in  the  county  had  increased 
to  320.  The  only  school  house  in  the  county  had  been  erected 
at  Old  ToAvn.  It  consisted  of  one  room.  24x30  feet,  with  a  ceil- 
ing 10  feet  high.  During  the  year  1863,  8  months  of  school  were 
taught,  Mary  B.  Tibbetts  and  Victor  P.  Magee  being  the  respec- 
tive teachers  of  the  two  terms. 

In  1861.  J.  L.  ]McIntier  was  school  marshal  and  E.  W.  Morse 
school  trustee.     Total  children  of  school    age,   317.     The  year 


DUNCAN   MACKINNON 
City  Superintendent  of  Schools 


1865  is  when  jMiss  ^lary  C.  Walker  came  to  teach  the  school, 
and  an  entry  in  the  records  in  1866.  reading,  "We  have  been 
without  a  teacher  since  June  1,"  probably  marks  the  date  of 
her  resignation.  Miss  Augusta  J.  Barrett  came  in  this  year  to 
succeed  Miss  Walker,  and  taught  until  she  was  married  to  Cap- 
tain ]Mathew  Sherman,  in  1867.  The  records  are  meager  dur- 
ing the  '60 's,  the  names  of  teachers  not  appearing  in  many 
instances.  In  the  year  last  named,  there  was  a  school  library 
of  61  volumes,  valued  at  $50. 


SCHOOLS  IN  HORTON'S  ADDITION 


573 


The  first  school  in  Xcw  San  Ihego  was  taught  by  Mrs.  II.  11. 
Dougherty,  in  the  old  government  barracks,  in  1868.  In  the 
same  year,  the  first  public  school  in  Horton's  Addition  was 
opened  in  rented  rooms  on  the  lot  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
B  Streets,  donated  liy  Mr.  Horton.  The  teachers  named  in  the 
records  in  this  and  the  following  year  are  Mr.  Parker  and  Miss 
McCarrett.  In  August,  1869  a  pulilic  school  was  re-opened  in 
the  barracks,  under  ^Ir.  Echels,  and  in  December  the  teacher  at 
the  D  Street  school  was  Mrs.  Maria   Mcriillivrav. 


MIDDLETOWN   SCHOOL 


In  1870  the  first  public  school  building  was  erected  on  the  B 
Street  lot,  the  school  removed  into  it  and  divided  into  three 
grades.  The  principal  was  J.  S.  Spencer,  the  intei-mediate 
teacher  Miss  Lithgow,  and  the  primary  teacher  Miss  ^IcCo}'. 
The  number  of  school  children  in  the  Old  Town  district  was  512 
and  in  tlie  ncAV  town,  243.  In  1871,  the  schools  were  reported 
to  be  in  "a  deplorable  condition."  "The  county  supei-intend- 
ent  is  paid  nothing  for  his  increased  service,  and  consequently 
did  nothing."      Only  one  district  in  the  county  had  sufficient 


574 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


funds  to  maintain  a  school  eight  months.  Notwithstanding  these 
conditions,  another  school  was  opened  in  Sherman's  Addition, 
on  lots  donated  by  Captain  Sherman.  This  school  was  named 
"the  Sherman  School"  in  honor  of  Captain  Sherman  and  is 
still  so  known. 

From  this  time  onward,  the  story  is  one  of  continuous  grow^th. 
The  annals  are  too  voluminous  for  reproduction,  but  the  most 
important  events  will  be  noted  and  present  conditions  described. 


B   STREET   SCHOOL 


In  1873  the  tirst  county  institute  was  held  in  San  Diego. 
Thirteen  teachers  were  present.  Lectures  were  delivered  by 
State  Superintendent  Bolander  and  Dr.  G.  AV.  Barnes.  During 
1876  and  1877  a  more  thorough  organization  into  grades  w^as 
made  and  the  work  systematized.  In  1878  there  was  much  com- 
plaint about  inadequacy  of  accommodations,  and  an  election 
was  held  which  authorized  the  levy  of  a  special  tax  to  build 
schools  and  employ  teachers.  In  the  next  year  the  enrollment 
increased  50  per  cent,  and  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  $50,000 
was  thought  necessary  to  relieve  the  strain. 


GIFT  OF  JOSEPH  RUSS 


575 


In  1881,  Joseph  Riiss,  of  the  Riiss  Luinher  Coiiipauy,  offered 
to  give  the  city  all  the  hiinboi-  necessary  for  the  construction  of 
a  new  school  buikling.  This  resulted  in  the  building  of  the 
"Russ"  school  building,  later  and  at  present  used  for  the  San 
Diego  high  school.  The  first  scliool  was  opened  in  this  building 
on  August  14,  1882,  when  276  pupils  were  enrolled  and  32 
turned  away  for  want  of  room.  The  principal  was  J.  A.  Rice; 
assistant,  Miss  E.  0.  Osgood.  The  total  cost  of  the  building  to 
the  city  was  $18,418.73.  This  was  the  first  good  school  buihl- 
ing  which  the  city  owned. 


^HfW^^rr*- 


^■. 


SHERMAN   SCHOOL 


The  High  School  was  organized  in  January,  1888.  The  first 
instructors  were:  Mrs.  Rose  Y.  Barton,  Mrs.  Julia  F.  Gilmar- 
tin,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  K.  Davis,  and  ]\Iiss  Ella  :\fcConoughy. 
Professor  Davis  was  principal. 

The   Kindergarten    Department    w 
Sherman  School,  in  1888,  in  charge 
soon  after  extended  to  other  schools,  and  is  now  an  established 
and  valued  part  of  the  school  work. 


s   first    introduced   at   the 
of  Miss  Fischer.      It  was 


576 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


The  high  school  biiildiiiy  was  erected,  as  stated,  in  1881  and 
1882.  The  erection  of  a  new  high  school  building  lias  t)een  re- 
cently begun.  It  will  cost  $201,000  for  the  building  alone,  and 
the  furnishings  will  cost  .$35,000  more.  It  will  contain  (i2  rooms, 
whereas  the  old  one  contained  but  17,  which  throws  an  interest- 
ing side  light  on  the  growth  of  the  city.  The  new  structure  will 
be  one  of  the  most  substantial,  beautiful,  and  up-to-date  build- 
ings in  the  state.  It  will  l)e  provided  with  several  lecture  rooms, 
assembly  halls,  science  rooms  and  rooms  for  the  art  department. 


LOGAN   HEIGHTS   SCHOOL 


gymnasium,  study  rooms,  and  offices  for  the  officials.  When 
the  new  building  is  completed  and  occupied,  the  present  high 
school  building  will  be  utilized  as  a  polytechnic  school. 

The  Middletown  School  was  built  in  1888.  It  contains  11 
rooms. 

The  B  Street  and  Sherman  Schools  were  built  in  1889  and 
the  Logan  Heights  (then  known  ms  the  East  School)  a  little 
later.  The  first  two  named  cost  $30,000  each.  The  B  Street 
and  the  Sherman  School  have  each  14  rooms.     At  Logan  Heights, 


THE  BOND  ISSUE  OF  1906  577 

there  are  12  roctius.  The  rniversily  Heiulits  School  li;is  !)  rooms. 
The  other  schools  in  the  city  are:  The  Lowell  School,  7  rooms; 
the  Franklin  School,  9  rooms.     The  ]\Ianual  Training  School  has 

1  room,  and  there  are  2  kindergarten  bungalows.  The  schools 
outside  San  Diego  proper,  Init  within  the  city  limits,  and  under 
the  charge  of  its  Board  of  Education,  are :  La  JoUa,  2  rooms ; 
Old  Town,  2  rooms;  Roseville,  2  rooms;  Pacific  Beach  School, 

2  rooms ;  and  Sorrento,  1  room. 

In  1888,  a  school  building  was  erected  in  Mission  Valley  and 
a  school  maintained  for  about  ten  years,  but  it  has  now  been 
abandoned. 

On  June  30,  1906,  the  citizens  of  San  Diego  voted  to  issue 
bonds  amounting  to  $120,000  for  the  construction  of  several 
modern  school  buildings.  The  money  is  now  available,  and  the 
work  progressing  rapidly.  When  these  buildings  are  completed, 
San  Diego  will  stand  second  to  no  other  city  of  its  size  in  the 
completeness  of  its  school  building  equipment.  The  corps  of 
teachers  numbers  100.  The  salaries  paid  run  from  $900  for  the 
first  year  to  $1200  for  the  second  and  subsequent  years.  In 
the  grammar  schools,  the  pay  for  the  first  year  runs  from  $600 
to  $800 ;  in  the  second  year  $30  is  added,  the  same  in  the  third, 
$40  in  the  fourth  and  $40  in  the  fifth.  Duncan  MacKinnon  is 
the  present  city  superintendent  of  schools.  S.  W.  Belding  is 
secretary  of  the  board  of  education,  having  served  since  June, 
1903.  He  is  the  first  regularly  appointed  secretary,  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education  having  served  as  secretary  without 
pay  prior  to  his  appointment.  The  enrollment  of  the  pupils  in 
the  city  proper  the  past  year  was  4,243,  and  the  census  mar- 
shal's return  4.379,  leaving  only  136  children  of  school  age  not 
enrolled.  The  total  expenditures  for  the  support  of  schools  last 
year  were  $100,253.47. 

The  course  of  physical  culture  in  the  public  schools  is  one  of 
their  most  valued  features.  It  was  first  suggested  and  largely 
brought  about  by  the  Concordia  Tni-nverein.  The  first  instructor 
was  Professor  L.  de  Julian,  who  acted  as  physical  director  from 
1900  to  1902.  The  present  director,  Professor  Trautlein.  began 
the  work  in  1903.  The  German  system  is  used,  consisting  of 
dumbbell  exercises,  club  swinging,  apparatus  work,  calisthenics, 
and  games.  These  are  for  the  children  of  all  grades,  from  the 
first  to  the  eighth.  The  director  visits  one  or  more  schools  each 
day  and  gives  fifteen  minutes'  instruction  to  teachers  and  pupils, 
and  each  class  devotes  the  same  time  daily  to  the  work,  under 
the  instruction  of  the  teachers.  Each  school  is  equipped  with 
dumbbells,  wands,  clubs,  horizontal  bars,  rings,  and  climbing 
ropes,  also  a  basket  ball  court  for  boys  and  girls. 


578 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


San  Diego  is  with  reason  proud  of  its  schools.  The  course  of 
study  is  good,  and  the  schools  are  accredited.  The  teachers  are 
well  trained  and  devoted,  the  board  of  education  progressive, 
and  the  whole  system  one  which  reflects  the  highest  credit  upon 
the  place  and  people. 

Of  private  schools,  San  Diego  has  had  a  luimber  from  an 
early  day.  The  first  was  the  academy  of  Professor  Oliver,  estab- 
lished in  1869.     In  1872  he  sold  the  buildings  to  Miss  S.  M. 


L  I   »   ^' 


Hih 


»«^,;^„\j^r.,fjj,; 


FRANKLIN   SCHOOL 


(Junn,  who  removed  them  to  Ninth  and  G  Streets,  added  im- 
provements, and  opened  the  San  Diego  Academy.  J.  D.  Dorian 
had  a  "select  school"  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  H  Streets, 
in  1872.  Rev.  D.  F.  McFarland  opened  his  seminary  in  1873, 
and  Mrs.  0.  AV.  Gates  established  the  Point  Loma  Seminary  in 
the  same  year.  R.  Roessler  had  a  private  academy  in  Gunn's 
academy  building  in  1879.  The  first  "business  academy"  was 
opened  by  Professor  E.  Hyde,  in  1882. 

The  Academy  of  Our  Lady  of  Peace,  1135  A  Street,  is  con- 
ducted by  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph.     It  is  a  boarding  and  day 


FREE  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL 


579 


scliool  for  uii'ls  ;iii(l  yoiiii^-  Ijidics.  well  (M|iiipp(Hl  for  llic  (lc\cl- 
(ipinciil  of  the  inciilal.  inofjil.  jiiul  plivsicnl  po^vol•s  of  its  pupils. 
'riicfc  is  ;ilso  ;i   sc|>;ir;il('  school   for  l)()ys. 

Tile  S;lli  Dii'U'i)  Fvi'r  I  lid  usl  l'i;il  School  w;is  founded  ill  1^114 
Ity  Mrs.  .).  F.  ('ai'v,  of  S;iii  Diego.  Ilci'  ori.uiiuil  iiileiilion  was 
to  sfjirt  a  sewiiiii'  school  I'or  girls  and  1o  improve  Ihe  coiidilion 
of  the  eliildreii  living  on  Ihe  waler  iVonl.  Il  Avas  soon  found 
iKM'ossai'y  1o  make  provision  For  Ihe  1  raining  of  childi-en  of  l)otli 
sexes  and  al'ler  six  moiilhs  h(i\s  were  also  admilled.     From  this 


WILFKED   R.    GUY 

Who  represented  San  Diego  in  the  Assembly  at  Sacramento  when  the  State  Normal  School 
bill  was  passed  for  the  second  time  and  signed  by  the  Governor 


hegiiiniiig  the  scope  of   the   work    has  grown    until    it    now  eiit- 
hraces  a   iiumher  of  activities. 

In  its  earix'  days,  tlie  school  occui)ie<l  a  room  lui  tlie  ground 
floor  of  th(^  Montezuma  Uuilding.  c(M'ner  of  Second  and  F 
Sli-eets.  Later  it  was  remo\-ed  1o  the  'I'ower  House,  on  Fourth 
and  F.  and  thence  across  the  street  to  what  is  now  k-nowii  as 
the  Wortli  lodging-liouse.  where  it  remained  until  the  summer 
of  1897.  At  that  time  the  iiev.-  Congregational  Church  liad 
been  completed  and  the  congregation  was  i-eady  to  move  out 


580 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


ol'  tln'  '"Itl  l;il)crti;icli'.  Ilicii  slandinii-  on  .\iii1h  jiiul  F  SU'ccts. 
'J'lii-i)nt;li  the  efforts  of  .Mr.  Marstoii  Jiiid  Airs.  C'iir.v.  the  old 
liiiildiii<i-  w;is  secured  ;is  ;i  home  tor  the  indiisti'ini  school.  A  lot 
on  the  noi'thwest  corner  of  St;ite  jiiuj  F  Streets,  fifty  feet 
wide.  w;is  |)i!rclKise(l.  ;ind  the  Itnihlinii'  renovnted  ;nid  reniov(>d 
1  hei'eon. 

Since  secnriii".^'  pernninent  <ju;irters.  tlie  school  h;is  ii'rown 
sleiidily.  There  is  ;i  in;inn;d  trniinni;  school  where  hoys  ;ire 
1;in<i'ht  the  use  of  tools  in  vjii'ions  trach's,  a  cookincr  school  in 
Avhicl!  i>irLs  learn  plain  cookinu'  practically,  a  sewino-  school,  etc. 


1, 


!'     N  ■ 


■t-^m-i^-'M 


•Ai 


''■*'m»^^>m^^^msfm^ 


STATE   NORMAL   SCHOOL 


'flic  school  is  sn|)ported  hy  volnnlary  coni  riluil  ions  and  all 
1  nil  ion  is  free.  The  school  is  incori)oi-ated.  ;ni(l  Mrs.  Cai-y  Avas 
its  lirst  and  is  its  pri^seiit  president  and  nianaii'er. 

'idle  nio\-enien1  to  secure  a  State  Normal  School  for  Sau 
])ieo()  was  undertaken  in  1891,  and  was  du(^  primarily  to  the 
iireat  e.\|)ense  and  inconvcndence  experienced  by  San  Diego 
families  in  seiidin;^'  their  children  to  the  Stati^  Normal  School 
at  Los  Angeles,  and  other  institutions  throughout  Southern 
California.     This  expense  was  estimated  at  $2750  per  mouth, 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL  581 

jind  it  \v;is  ()l)\i()ii.s  tluil  such  coiidil  ions  cinild  mil  roiitiliue 
iiidcliiiitcly. 

The  ;itii1;d  ion  \v;is  hciiiin  i»y  !I;ii-i-  Wn^ncr.  then  r-onnty 
siipcrinlciidcnt  ol'  schools.  ;iiid  I'l-ol'.  Iluuli  -I.  l>al(h\'in,  who 
was  then  in  charg'e  of  Ihc  Coi'onado  Schools.  A  inunificiMit 
offci-  l)\-  Mi's.  ().  '] .  Stouiih  yrcatlx  siinpliiicd  Ihc  nnih'rtakins: 
and  undoubtedly  coutrihntcd  iiiatcrially  to  the  cai'l.\'  success 
of  tli(^  movement.  It  ^\'as  |)i'oi)osed  that  the  hnilding  and 
grounds  of  the  eolleg'e  at  Pacific  Ik'ach  should  he  used  for  the 
new  Xoi'inal  School,  and  this  |)i'o|)ci'1y.  valued  at  .$1()0,()(HI,  Mrs. 
Stonyh  offei-ed  as  a  free  gift  ti»  the  state.  With  this  splendid 
induccuKMit  to  oti'er  to  the  legislature  Senator  I).  L.  Withington 
and  Asseiid)lymen  I)r\'den  and  Keene  wei'e  ahic  to  mak'c  a 
strong  tight  at  Sacramento.  They  were  su|>ported  l»y  nnani- 
iiions  pnlilic  sentiment,  and  materially  aided  hy  Professor 
Paldwin.  who  went  to  the  capital  for  the  i)urpose.  having 
been  s(dected  by  the  citizens  of  San  Diego  as  the  rei)i'eseiitative 
of  the  Chaml)er  of  Commerce. 

The  l)ill  to  estal)lish  the  school  at  this  point  passed  the 
legislature  in  IS!)."),  but  was  vetoed  ^)y  the  govei'uoi-.  Two 
>-eai"s  later  the  ImII  was  pressed.  Assemblyman  W.  R.  Guy 
making  it  the  especial  ol).i(M't  of  his  efforts.  The  legislature 
acted  favorably  u[)on  it  foi-  the  second  time,  and  it  was  signed 
by  the  governor. 

Although  the  generosity  of  Mrs.  Stough  doubtless  secured 
the  success  of  the  project,  her  offer  was  not  accepted,  and 
in  the  end  the  Normal  Sehool  was  h)cated  on  University 
Heights.  Innnediately  after  the  bill  became  a  law.  two 
other  sites  were  lironght  into  competition  with  Pacitic 
l^each.  p]scondido  offered  its  tine  three-story  high  school 
building,  together  with  the  grounds,  and  the  College  Hill 
Land  Association  offered  eleven  acres  on  (^niversit\-  Tb'ights. 
The  boai'd  of  trustei^s  a|)pointed  by  the  governor  to  select 
the  site  for  the  school  consisted  of  Thomas  ().  Tolaiid  of 
Ventura.  J.  L.  Dryden  of  National  City.  John  G.  Noilh  of 
Riverside,  and  W.  R.  Guy  and  \'ictor  E.  Shaw  of  San  Diego. 
They,  with  Governor  Pudd  and  Sanniel  T.  P)lack.  ex-oflicio 
meml)ers  of  the  board,  looked  over  the  three  sites  and  dei'id(Hl 
on  the  prc^sent  location  on  T'^niversity  Heights. 


CllAi'TEii  lii 


RECORDS  OF  THE  BENCH  AND  BAR 


K()l>AliL\'  the  jivcrjiu'c  citizen  of  San  Diego 
ir  asked  l<i  name  I  lie  i'allier  of  tiie  Sail  Diego 
liar.  wiMild  at  onee  llnnk.  of  .Indge  (3]iver  8. 
W'il  lierhy  ;  and  i-erl  andy.  alt  hongh  we  ;ire  not 
siii'e  he  was  the  vrvy  first  Auierieaii  attorney 
to  settle  liei-e.  and  alllioiigli  li(^  did  not  prac- 
tice long,  yet  liy  reason  of  his  character  and 
the  niany  yeai's  diu'inii-  which  he  stood  as  a 
connecting  ]iid\'  lielween  the  old  and  the  new.  he  deserves  to  be 
so  considei'ed.  'I'll I'onulKMd  the  .')( i "s  and  e\'en  earlier,  there 
\\'ei-e  a  nninlier  of  hnsiiicss  men  and  othel•.^  admitted  to  practice 
■whose  attainments  were  slight.  I>nt  W'ilherliy  was  a  real  law- 
yei'.  and  a  man  of  solid  at  t  aiinneiits.  lie  sjxMit  nearly  forty- 
se\-en  years  of  his  life  in  San  Diego,  and  his  election  to  repre- 
sent the  conntx  in  the  tii-s1  legislatnre.  in  IS-IO.  as  well  as  his 
appointment-  and  sei-\'ice  as  the  fii'st  jndg*'  of  the  first  judicial 
district,  shows  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  Indd  as  a  lawyer 
and  a  man. 

in  iSoO  tlmre  were  tliree  practicing  attorneys  in  San  Diego  : 
-lames  \V.  lioliinsoii.  Tlnnnas  \V.  Snthei'land.  and  William  (_'. 
Ferrell.  These  men  have  all  lieeii  mentioned  in  this  history,  and 
!»i-i(d'  hiogra  |)hical  si^etches  of  them  given.  It  W(ud(l  Ix^  diHienlt. 
if  not  impossil)le.  to  determiiu'  which  was  tlit^  earliest  settler  of 
the  three.  I\ol)inson  was  the  most  snhstantial  citizen  and  the 
liesi  (Mpiippi'd  laA\yei'.  owing  to  his  long  experience,  learning. 
and  |>ersonal  chai'acter.  Ferrell  was  also  an  able  man,  and  in 
the  eight  ()]'  nitn'  years  of  his  n^sidence  practiced  (piite  actively; 
lint  he  was  somewhat  eccenti'ic  and  scarcelx'  adapter!  to  cut  a 
lai'U'e  figure.  lie  was  the  lirst  disti'ict  attorney  of  the  first  judi- 
cial disti-ict.  in  lsr)()-.")2.  Snthei-land  was  actively  engaged  in 
pidilic  affaii's  in  the  early  M)'s.  He  scu'ved  as  alcalde  nnder 
the  .Mexican  laws  and  as  city  attoi'iiey  and  disti'ict  attorney 
under  the  Amei'icau  cix'il  administration.  As  city  attorney  he 
prepai'cd  San  l)iego"s  tii-st  (n-dinances.  in  ISoO-l.  and  rendered 
ot  her  ser\ices.  In  Decemher.  IsioO.  Ira  \V.  IJird  was  appointed 
and  acted  fiu'  a  time  as  county  attorney',  hut  thei-e  is;  nothing 
to  show  that  he  ever  engaged  in  the  ])rac1ice  of  law. 

In  this  yeai-.  also,  -lolin  11  .Magruder's  name  appears  as  an 
attoi-iH'y.      This,  of  coui'se.  was  Colonel  -1.  Bankhead  ]\Iagrnder 


OLD  TOWN  ATTORNEYS  583 

who  was  at  the  time  in  commaiul  of  the  army  post  at  San  Diego. 

Coming  down  a  few  years,  we  llnd  the  names  of  Lewis  A. 
Franklin  and  J.  R.  Gitchell  as  attorneys;  Franklin  i^racticed 
very  little,  bnt  Gitchell  was  the  first  attorney  for  the  old  San 
Diego  &  Gila  Railroad,  and  drew  its  charter.  He  was  also  dis- 
trict attorney,  a  somewhat  prominent  resident,  and  i-egarded  as 
an  al)le  man.  D.  B.  Knrtz  read  law  nnder  Gitchell  and  in  April, 
1856,  he  and  E.  W.  Morse  and  D.  B.  Hoffman  were  admitted  to 
the  bar,  bnt  none  of  the  three  ever  engaged  extensively  in  prac- 
tice. Sqnire  Ensworth,  on  the  other  hand,  pnrsned  the  profes- 
sion and  gave  it  his  exclusive  attention.  He  was  a  self-made 
lawyer  and  was  admitted  about  the  same  time  as  Mr.  Morse. 

At  the  time  that  Horton's  Addition  began  to  forge  to  the 
front,  the  prominent  attorneys  at  Old  Town  were  Benjamin 
Hayes,  Wm.  Jeff'  Gatewood,  and  AV.  T.  McNealy. 

Judge  Hayes  was  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles  when  elected  dis- 
trict .iudge,  in  1859,  and  served  until  1864.  In  1869  he  removed 
to  Old  Town  and  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  state 
senator  in  1866-67.  He  died  in  Los  Angeles,  August  4,  1877. 
Judge  Hayes  was  the  leading  lawyer  of  San  Diego  in  all  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  land  titles,  and  a  cyclopedia  of  information 
on  Spanish  land  grants.  He  was  the  attorney  for  the  plaintiffs 
in  the  suit  for  the  partition  of  the  Middletown  Addition.  In 
the  course  of  his  practice  he  accumulated  a  large  number  of 
documents  relating  to  land  titles  and  early  history,  which  he 
turned  over  to  H.  H.  Bancroft. 

Gatewood  came  in  Octo])er,  1868,  to  establish  the  Union.  In 
the  following  May  he  sold  his  half  interest  in  the  paper  to 
Charles  P.  Taggart,  and  the  paper  was  soon  after  removed  to 
New  San  Diego,  while  Gatewood  remained  at  Old  Town  and 
engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  law. 

Colonel  Gatewood  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  a  man  of  fine 
personal  presence  and  great  native  talents.  He  served  in  the 
Mexican  War  and  after  that  settled  in  Calaveras  County,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  published  the  San  Andreas  Begister  and  took 
a  hand  in  politics.  In  the  course  of  the  vicissitudes  of  the  lattei- 
occupation,  in  1858,  he  fought  a  duel  with  Dr.  P.  Goodwin  and 
killed  him — a  somew^hat  celebrated  affair.  After  retiring  from 
the  Union  Gatewood  quickly  built  x^^  a  good  practice.  Besides 
having  nearly  all  the  criminal  practice,  he  was  usually  employed 
on  one  side  of  most  of  the  important  ci\nl  cases.  He  was  an 
excellent  trial  laAvyer,  ready  and  resourceful,  and  especially  suc- 
cessful in  his  advocacy  of  causes  before  a  .jury. 

After  the  county  offices  were  removed  to  New  San  Diego,  he 
took  u]>  his  residence  there  and  lived  for  several  years  in  the 
honse  still  standino-  at  the  southwest  corner  of  T^nion   and  D 


584 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Streets.  In  July,  1872,  he  founded  the  Daily  World.  One  of 
his  most  important  cases  was  that  of  the  People  vs.  Gregory, 
accused  of  murder,  wherein  he  succeeded  in  securing  an  acquit- 
tal against  great  odds.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  suit  of 
Pico  vs.  Forster,  involving  the  ownership  of  the  Santa  Marga- 
rita rancho,  but  in  that  case  his  clients  lost.  In  the  Hinton  will 
case  he  represented  the  executors,  and  in  the  contest  over  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat  was  attorney  for  the  people  of  Old 


OLIVER   S.    WITHERBY 

"Father  of  San  Diego  Bar,"  who  lived  here  forty-seven  years,   representing   the  county   in 
the  first  legislature  and  occupying  the  bench  for  a  long  period 


Town.  In  1873  he  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  the  Demo- 
cratic nomination  for  district  judge,  but  was  defeated  by  W. 
T.  McNealy.  He  died  on  board  the  schooner  Rosita,  in  San 
Diego  Bay,  March  27,  1888. 

W.  T.  McNealy  practiced  law  in  San  Diego  longer  ago  than 
any  other  man  now  living  here.  He  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  but 
his  father  removed  to  Florida  and  he  spent  his  youth  there. 
He  came  to  California  in  1849  and  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  the 
31st  of  March  in  that  year.    He  relates  that  his  first  employment 


JUDGE  McNEALY 


585 


after  his  arrival  was  given  him  by  Cullen  A.  Johnson  and  con- 
sisted of  making  an  abstract  of  the  title  to  the  Middletown  Addi- 
tion ;  the  second  was  copying  some  records  for  Judge  Hayes,  in 
the  matter  of  the  estate  of  some  minors.  The  following  fall  he 
received  the  Democratic  nomination  for  district  attorney  and 
was  elected,  and  two  years  later  was  re-elected  for  another  term. 
The  record  which  he  made  in  the  vigorous  and  successful  pros- 
ecution of  a  number  of  criminals  popularl\'  supposed  to  be  im- 
mune on  account  of  their  "pull."  as  well  as  his  stu])born  fight 


BENJAMIN   HAYES 
District  Judge,  leading  lawyer,  and  eminent  authority  on  Spanish  land  titles 


and  final  victory  in  the  collection  of  the  disputed  tax  levy  for 
refunding  the  county  debt,  with  practically  all  the  property 
owners  of  the  city  and  county  arrayed  against  him.  convinced 
the  people  that  he  was  their  friend  and  led  to  his  nomination 
and  election  to  the  oi¥ice  of  judge  of  the  eighteenth  district  court, 
defeating  Judge  Rolfe,  in  1873.  for  a  term  of  six  years.  In  1879, 
the  old  district  court  having  been  abolished  and  the  new  supe- 
rior court  created,  he  Avas  chosen  to  fill  that  office  and  served 
until    October,    1886,    when    ill    health    caused   his    retirement. 


586 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


After  this  he  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  practice,  l)nt  since  1888 
has  retired. 

CuUeu  A.  Johnson  was  district  attorney  in  1868-69.  He 
came  here  in  ill  health,  and  died  April  16,  1873,  of  consumption. 

Daniel  Cleveland  is  the  oldest  attorney,  still  engaged  in  prac- 
tice and  living  here,  who  came  direct  to  New  San  Diego.  He  is 
a  native  of  Ponghkeepsie,  New  York,  the  son  of  an  eminent  law- 
ver,  and  descended  from  Revolntionarv  stock.    He  came  to  San 


W.    T.    MCNEALY 

Who  practiced  law  longer  than  any  other  man  now  living:  in  the  city.     Elected   District 
Attorney  in  1869,  serving-  four  years.     Elected  judg-e  of  the  Eighteenth  Judicial  Dis- 
trict in  187.3  for  six  years,  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  in  1879  and  again  in 
1884,     Retired  from  the  bench  in  1886  after  serving  thii-teen  years 


Diego  in  May,  1869,  and  practiced  law  in  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Wm.  H.  Cleveland.  The  latter,  a  very  able  lawyer, 
died  in  New  Hampshire  in  1873.  Mr.  Cleveland  has  been  an 
active  participant  in  all  the  city's  important  steps  of  progress. 
He  was  attorney  for  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railway  five  or  six 
years,  until  it  transferred  its  franchise  to  the  Southern  Pacific, 
and  was  attorney  for  the  Bank  of  San  Diego  during  its  exist- 
ence.    He  is  a  large  property  owner  and  a  public-spirited  eiti- 


TAGGART  AND  TIDE  LANDS 


587 


zen.  Ill  the  practice  of  law,  his  course  has  always  been  digni- 
fied and  his  attainments  and  talents  command  respect.  His 
connection  ^vith  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  been 
described.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  San  Diego  Soci- 
ety of  Natural  History,  its  president  for  a  time,  and  always  an 
active  member  and  contributor. 

In  a  growing  community  like  New  San  Diego,  there  are  always 
a  few  men  who.  by  reason  of  their  qualifications  and  force  of 


LEVI   CHASE 

Who  located  here  after  the  civil  war  and  took  a  leading  place  among  lawyers.     He  was  iden- 
tified with  important  land  litigation  and  thereby  acquired  extensive 
holdings  in  El  Cajon  Valley 


character  early  take  and  easily  maintain  the  lead  in  their  pro- 
fessions. To  attempt  to  select  these  men  would  ordinarily  be  a 
difficult  and  invidious  task,  but  in  the  case  of  the  early  days 
of  New  San  Diego,  it  is  made  easy  by  the  agreement  of  those 
who  knew  them.  The  two  most  prominent  and  successful  attor- 
neys of  early  days  in  New  San  Diego,  who  came  direct,  were 
Major  Levi  Chase  and  AVallace  Leach. 

jNIajor  Chase  was  a  native  of  Maine,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
War.    He  came  to  San  Diego  in  1868  and  almost  at  once  gained 


588 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


a  prominent  position  at  the  hiw.  One  of  his  most  important  lit- 
igations was  for  settling'  the  title  and  bonndaries  of  the  El  Cajon 
rancho,  and  afterward  for  its  partition  among  the  successful 
contestants.  This  work  was  very  profital)le,  but,  as  several  peo- 
ple were  dispossessed,  considerable  feeling  was  aroused.  He 
Avas  also  interested  in  litigation  over  Warner's  ranch.  He 
formed  a  partnership  with   AVallace   Leaeh   about   1873.   which 


NORMAN   H.    CONKLIN 

Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  to  which  he  was  elected  in  1900  to  fill  an  unexpired  term,  and 
re-elected  in  1902.     He  was  chosen  district  attorney  in  1877 


continued  twelve  or  thirteen  years.  He  took  part  in  most  of  the 
important  civil  litigation  of  his  day,  but  did  not  engage  in  crim- 
inal practice.  He  retired  about  1895,  and  died  ]May  31,  1906. 
He  was  regarded  as  a  reliable  lawyer  and  good  counsellor. 

Robert  Wallace  Leach  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  grad- 
uate of  Harvard  Law  College.  He  came  to  San  Diego  in  June, 
1873,  and  soon  after  entered  into  a  partnership  with  Major 
Chase.  His  specialty  was  criminal  law  and  .jury  trials.  He 
was  brilliant,  resourceful,  and  highly  successful.  His  first  lau- 
rels were  won  in  defending  Collector  W.  J.  McCormick,  who 


SUPERIOR  COURT  JUDGES 


589 


was  accused  of  r()l)l)iiig  himself,  as  related  in  the  account  of  gov- 
ernmental activities.  About  1885,  he  formed  a  partnei-ship 
with  Judge  Parker,  which  enntiniicd  iinlil  Leach's  death  He 
died  iMay  13,  1888. 

Charles  P.  Taggart  also  hclongs  lo  tjiis  period.  lie  was  the 
attorney  for  a  number  of  corpoi-ations,  such  as  the  Pacific  Mail 
and  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamshi]i  Companies,  for  Capron's  stage 
line,  for  the  Texas  &  Paciiic  Railroad,  and  finally  city  attorney. 
While  city  attorney,  the  trustees  entered  into  a  contract  with 


E.    S.    TORRANCE 

Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.     First  chosen  in  1890,  he  was  re-elected  in   1896  and  again   in 
1902.     The  tliree  terms  for  which  he  was  chosen  represent  a  service  of  eighteen  years 


him  and  General  Volney  E.  Howard,  of  Los  Angeles,  by  which 
they  were  to  receive  a  large  share  of  the  tide  lands  in  payment 
for  their  services  in  defending  the  city's  claim  to  title  in  the 
litigation  then  pending.  Much  bitterness  was  aroused  and, 
besides  making  many  enemies.  Taggart  and  Howard  got  no  pay, 
as  it  was  finally  held  that  the  city  had  no  title. 

Taggart 's  specialty  was  criminal  practice.     One  of  his  most 
important  cases  was  the  defense  in  the  case  of  State  vs.  Bur- 


590 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


iejgh,  accused  of  imii'dci'.  The  evidence  against  Burleigh, 
although  circumstantial,  was  strong,  and  public  sentiment 
was  against  his  client.,  He  succeeded  in  securing  a  ver- 
dict of  acquittal,  and  subs(M|uoiit  developments  established  to 
the  satisfaction  of  many  that  Burleigh  Avas  really  innocent. 
There  is  a  tradition  that  when  the  .jury  first  went  out  they  stood 
11  to  1,  the  1  being  Joshua  Sloane,  and  that  he  talked  over  the 


GEORGE   PUTERBAUGH 

Located,  1885;  served  as  Superior  Judge,  1889-97.  chosen  City  Attorney.    1907;   earnest  advo- 
cate of  large  irrigation  plan  on  Western   Slope,    which,  if   carried   out,    would 
have  brought  enormous  benefits  (o  city  and  county 


other  11.  Mr.  Taggart  can  scarcely  be  called  a  successful  law- 
yer. He  dissipated  his  energies  upon  a  number  of  activities. 
As  related,  he  purchased  Colonel  Gatewood's  interest  in  the 
Union  in  1869,  and  was  its  editor  and  manager  for  a  few  months. 
He  was  also  agent  for  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company. 
He  died  October  13,  1875 ;  his  monument  bears  the  inscription : 
"A  friend  to  free  schools." 

The  judiciary  of  San  Diego  has,  as  a  rule,  reflected  the  high 
character  of   the   bar.      Of   the   district   judges,   only   the   first 


SUPERIOR  COURT  JUDGES 


591 


(Witliei'by)  and  the  last  (iMcNealy)  were  residents  of  San 
Diego,  while  the  others  were  from  other  sections  of  the  district. 
The  first  connty  judge  and  e.r-of[icio  presiding  judge  of  the 
court  of  sessions,  was  John  ITays.  After  him  were  Cave  J. 
Couts,  D.  B.  Kurtz,  W.  IT.  Xoyes,  Julio  Osnna.  Thomas  TT.  Bush, 
and  jMoses  A.  Luce,  who  served  until  the  office  was  abolished. 
Brief  biographies  of  nearly  all  these  judges  have  been  given. 


I^CT 


f 


W.    R.    ANDREWS 

Located,  1897:  deputy  district  attorney,  1903-05;  city  attorney,  1905-07.     Unquestionably,   his 

most  important  public  service  was  his  sinRle-handed  fight  to  maintain  the  validity  of 

the  municipal  bond  issue  of  1907,  when  his  contention  was  sustained  by  the 

Superior  Court  and  by  the  Supreme  Court  against  the  opposition 

of  the  leading  bond  experts  of  Southern  California 


The  first  superior  judge  was  W.  T.  McNealy.  Upon  his  retire- 
ment, October  1,  1886,  John  I).  Works  was  appointed  his  suc- 
cessor and  was  chosen  at  the  next  general  election  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term.  He  served  about  a  year,  then  resigned,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Edwin  Parker. 

Judge  Works  is  a  native  of  Indiana.  He  came  to  San  Diego 
in  1883,  after  having  served  in  the  Civil  War  and  in  the  Indiana 
legislature  and  written  a  text  book  on  practice  and  pleading. 
He  was  soon  after  chosen  citv  attorney.     After  retiring  from 


592  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  bench,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Clin  Wellborn  and 
John  R.  Jones.  He  afterward  removed  to  Los  Angeles,  where 
he  is  now  successfnlly  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession. 
He  has  served  a  term  as  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Califor- 
nia, and  stands  high  as  a  citizen  and  a  lawyer. 

Judge  Parker  completed  the  unexpired  part  of  the  term  of 
Judge  Works,  and  was  regarded  as  an  able  jurist.  He  had 
been  under-sheriff  in  1873-74  and  studied  law  and  engaged  in 
practice  upon  retiring  from  that  position.  He  is  spoken  of  as 
a  man  whose  naturally  fine  powers  were  somewhat  handicapped 
by  his  diffidence. 

The  year  1888  was  the  one  at  which  the  grand  contest  occurred 
between  the  "Gallaghers"  and  the  regular  Republican  organiza- 
tion. The  superior  judge  chosen  at  that  election,  John  R.  Ait- 
ken,  was  supported  by  the  former  organization.  He  was  a 
young  lawyer  recently  from  San  Francisco,  who  served  one 
term.  He  returned  to  San  Francisco  and  is  now  a  practicing 
attorney  there. 

By  Februnry,  1889,  the  business  of  the  superior  court  had 
increased  so  much  that  it  was  necessary  to  provide  more  judges. 
The  legislature  accordingly  created  two  more  departments  and 
authorized  the  governor  to  fill  them.  Those  appointed  were 
George  Puterbaugh  and  W.  L.  Pierce.  In  the  fall  of  1890  these 
two  were  elected  for  a  term  of  six  years,  nnd  the  third  judge 
chosen  was  E.  S.  Torrance. 

Judge  Puterbaugh  made  a  good  record.  He  is  still  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  San  Diego,  and  enjoys  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  the  community.  Judge  Torrance  has 
been  upon  the  bench  continuously  for  sixteen  years  and  has  two 
years  yet  to  serve,  but  recently  announced  his  intention  of 
resigning.  He  is  regarded  as  a  very  able  jurist.  Judge  Pierce 
served  out  his  term,  but  failed  of  a  renomination.  He  was  shot 
and  dangerously  wounded  by  W.  S.  Clendennin,  who  had  been 
a  party  to  a  suit  in  his  court  and  against  whom  he  had  ruled. 
Judge  Pierce  afterward  left  San  Diego  and  went  to  San 
Francisco. 

When  the  time  came  for  the  general  election  in  the  fall  of 
1896,  the  business  of  the  court  had  decreased  and  one  of  the 
departments  was  discontinued.  The  two  judges  elected  were 
E.  S.  Torrance  and  John  W.  Hughes.  Judge  Hughes  died  in 
office,  and  George  Fuller  was  appointed  to  serve  until  the  next 
election  in  the  fall  of  1900.  At  that  election,  Norman  H.  Conk- 
lin  was  chosen  to  fill  the  unexpired  term,  and  he  was  re-elected 
in  1902.  The  two  judges  at  this  time  are,  therefore,  Torrance 
and  Conklin,  and  their  successors  are  to  be  elected  in  1908. 


MEN  WHO  HAVE  PASSED  593 

Judge  Conkliii  is  ;i  luitive  of  IVimsylvjinia,  ixnd  omiiio  to  San 
Diego  in  1874.  Tie  was  associated  with  the  late  J.  M.  Julian 
in  the  publication  of  the  World,  and  in  1877  was  elected  dis- 
trict attorney  and  served  two  years. 

There  have  been  a  rnimber  of  attoimeys  in  San  Diego,  now 
deceased  or  removed  elsewhere,  of  whom  mention  should  be 
made. 

Thomas  P.  Slade  came  to  San  Diego  very  early.  He  was  a 
fine  old  gentleman  who  spent  his  last  days  at  Julian.  Lewis 
Branson  had  some  of  the  most  important  laiul  cases  at  New 
San  Diego.  He  had  been  a  .iudge  in  Wisconsin.  He  left  before 
the  boom  and  went  to  Washington  Territory.  S.  S.  Sanborn 
was  another  early  arrival  at  Horton's  Addition,  and  became 
associated  with  Charles  A.  AVetmore.  He  died  here  several 
years  ago.  Tyson  &  Swift  were  the  attorneys  for  the  land 
jumpers  at  Horton's  Addition.  They  both  went  away  early. 
G.  A.  Jones  was  from  Texas,  a  fact  which  he  took  pains  to  place 
upon  his  sign.  He  was  attorney  for  the  ousted  supervisors  at 
the  time  of  the  trouble  over  the  removal  of  the  county  seat,  and 
won  his  case  upon  appeal.  He  was  at  one  time  in  partnership 
with  Chalmers  Scott.  He  died  in  San  Diego  six  or  seven  years 
ago.  John  R.  Jones  came  from  Tennessee  and  practiced  a  few 
years  in  partnership  with  Olin  Wellborn.  N.  H.  Dodson  was 
from  Sacramento.  He  lived  on  a  ranch  at  Poway  a  few  years, 
then  returned  to  Sacramento.  William  H.  Cleveland  was  an 
able  and  successful  lawyer  at  Old  Town,  and  the  owner  of  Cleve- 
land's Addition.  A.  C.  Baker  arrived  about  1873,  remained 
only  a  short  time,  then  went  to  Los  Angeles  and  later  to  Ari- 
zona, where  he  became  chief  justice  of  the  territory  in  1893. 
F.  L.  Aude  came  from  San  Francisco,  practiced  a  short  time, 
and  then  returned.  William  E.  Darby  was  a  resident  of  Old 
Towii.  He  was  elected  district  attorney,  but  died  before  enter- 
ing upon  the  duties  of  the  office.  Wellington  Stewart  first  |)rac- 
ticed  at  National  City  and  was  attorney  for  Kimball  Brothers. 
Later  he  was  associated  with  D.  C.  Reed.  He  left  San  Diego 
in  the  80 's. 

William  J.  Hunsaker  grew  up  in  San  Diego  and  received  his 
education  in  its  public  schools.  He  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
Chase  &  Leach  and  practiced  for  a  time  in  ])artnershi]i  with 
Judge  Conklin.  Later  he  was  associated  with  E.  W.  Britt.  with 
M'hom  he  is  now  practicing  at  Los  Angeles.  This  firm  stands 
very  high  at  the  California  bar,  and  both  are  remembered  kindly 
and  regarded  with  pride  by  their  former  associates. 

James  S.  Callen  came  to  San  Diego  in  boom  days  and  was  a 
noted  criminal  attorney  for  several  years. 


HENRY   E,    MILLS 


W.    A.    SLOANE 


S.    S.    KNOLES  ELIJAH   W.    HENDRICK 

REPRESENTATIVE   LAWYERS 


H.    E.    DOOLITTLE 


PATTERSON   SPRIGG 


SAM    FERRY   SMITH  EUGENE   DANEY 

REPRESENTATIVE   LAWYERS 


596 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Of  the  remaining'  attorneys  still  in  practice  in  San  Diego, 
one  of  the  oldest  is  Elijah  W.  Ilendrick.  Judge  Kendrick  served 
one  term  in  the  state  legislature,  in  1881,  was  district  attorney 
ill  1885-8(3,  and  also  served  as  city  attorney.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  free  public  library,  and  has  always  been  an  act- 
ive and  public-spirited  citizen.  ]\Ioses  A.  Luce  arrived  in  May, 
1873.  He  has  been  associated  with  Judge  Torrance  and  J.  Wade 
McDonald,  and  is  at  present  the  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of 
Luce,  Sloane  &  Luce.  His  public  services  include  a  term  as 
county  judge,  an  active  and  effective  part  in  bringing  the  Santa 
Fe  Railway,  etc. 

S.  S.  Knoles  is  United  States  commissioner;  11.  W.  Talcott, 
commissioner  of  the  superior  court ;  and  J.  Z.  Tucker,  United 
States  referee  in  bankruptcy. 

The  San  Diego  Bar  Association  was  formed  April  22,  1899. 
The  present  officers  are :  Theroii  L.  Lewis,  i)resident ;  Frederick 
W.  Stearns,  vice-x^resident ;  Charles  C.  Haines,  secretary ;  and 
J.  Z.  Tucker,  treasurer.     The  membership  is  about  sixty. 

There  are  several  other  individuals  and  firms  whose  standing 
entitles  them  to  fuller  notice,  and  of  whom  tlie  city  is  justly 
proud.  All  that  can  be  done  here,  however,  is  to  present  a  list 
of  the  practicing  attorneys  of  San  Diego  at  this  time : 


Anderson,  Monroe  B, 

Arden,    Henry 

Bancroft,  Griffing 

Boone,    Linden    L. 

Bowman,   A.   B. 

Capps,   Eugene    E. 

Carter,    Cassius 

Cleveland,    Daniel 

Collier,  Smith  &  Holcoml) 
(David  C.  Collier,  Sam 
Ferry  Smith,  Will  H.  Hoi- 
comb) 

Comly,   Harry   E. 

Crane,   H.  S. 

Dadmun  &  Belien  (Lewis  E. 
Dadmun,    Wm.    T.    Belieu) 

Daney  &  Lewis  (Eugene 
Daney,   Theron   L.    Tiewis) 

Doolittle,   Herbert   E. 

Ecker.   William    H.    C. 

Guy,   Wilfred    R. 

Haines  &  Haines  (Alfred 
Haines,  Charles  C.  Haines) 

Hendrick,    Elijah    W. 

Hitchcock,    George    N". 

Humphrey,  W^illiam 

Jordan.  Adison  D. 

Riall,  Ernes'- 

Kew,    Michael 


Kirby,  Lewis   E. 

Knoles,    Samuel    S. 

Lamadrid,  Tomas 

Luce,  Sloane  &  Luce  (Moses 
A.  Luce,  WilMam  A. 
Sloane,    Edgar    A.    Luce) 

McDonald,   J.   Wade 

McKee,  Clarke  W. 

Mannix,    John    B. 

Mills  &  Hizar  (Henrv  E. 
Mills.    J.    Clyde    Hizar) 

Mossholder,   W^illiam   .T. 

Mouser,   A.    C. 

O'Farrell,  Fred 

Palmer,  Henry  H. 

Peterson,   Edward    W. 

Pirkey,   Oval 

Puterbaugh  &  Putgrbaugh 
(George  Puterbaugh,  .John- 
son  W.    Puterbaugh) 

Eiall,    Ernest 

Eiley,    Lewis    S. 

Eippey,   Charles  H. 

Shea,    Michael 

Soto,   Jose   M. 

Sprigg,  Patterson 

Stearns     &     Sweet      (Freder 
ick    W.    Stearns,    Adelbert 
H.  Sweet) 


ROLL  OF  ATTORNEYS 


597 


Taylor,    Blaine 
Thorpe,    Milton    R. 
Torniuce,    E.    Swift 
Tucker,  Jack  Z. 
ITtley   &   Manning   (Harry   S. 
Utley,    John    F.    Manning) 
Wadhani,  James  E. 
Walker.    C'lnrke   A. 


Ward,  Martin   L. 

Wliiteliead,    Fred    G. 

Wriglit,  Sc'lioonovcr  &  Win- 
11  ek  (Leroy  A.  Wright,  Al- 
bert Seliooiiover,  Emilus 
V.  Wiiinek) 


COUNTY  COURT  HOUSE,  ERECTED  IN  1892 


CHAPTER  IV 
GROWTH  OF  THE   MEDICAL  PROFESSION 

HROUCIHOUT  all  the  days  of  Spanish  and 
Mexican  rule,  the  practice  of  medicine  was 
very  primitive.  A  snrgeon  was  attached  to 
each  presidial  company  and  the  missionaries, 
as  a  rule,  had  some  skill.  But  the  presidios 
were  feebly  maintained  and  usually  slack  in 
medical  and  surgical  equipment;  and  the  tra- 
ditions lead  to  the  belief  that  the  missionaries 
were  rather  poorly  equipped  as  regarded  medical  and  surgical 
skill,  even  for  that  day.  Still,  the  few  simple  things  they  could 
do  seemed  marvelous  to  the  Indians,  and  the  colonists  were  not 
far  behind  them  in  their  gaping  wonder  at  the  exhibition  of 
very  slight  attainments.  When  the  missions  went  down  and  the 
presidios  were  but  intermittently  maintained,  there  were  long 
periods  when  the  people  were  without  the  services  of  a  physician. 
It  is  said  that  for  almost  twenty  years  before  the  Mexican  War 
there  was  no  resident  physician  in  San  Diego. 

Naturally,  the  people  had  some  strange  notions  and  supersti- 
tions about  the  practice  of  medicine.  When  Alfred  Robinson 
lived  in  San  Diego,  in  1829,  he  found  that  every  foreigner  was 
supposed  to  have  a  knowledge  of  medicine.  Being  requested  by 
an  old  woman  to  prescribe  for  her  daughter,  who  was  suffering 
with  cramps,  he  prescribed  a. small  dose  of  laudanum.  This 
having  a  good  effect,  he  found  his  fame  as  a  physician  estab- 
lished. He  says  that,  had  he  been  so  inclined  and  willing  to 
furnish  the  medicines  himself,  he  could  have  had  a  good  prac- 
tice. Other  visitors  were  less  scrupulous,  judging  from  the 
story  he  tells  of  a  drunken  American  deserter  who  imposed 
upon  the  poor  people  of  Santa  Barbara,  using  his  pretended 
knowledge  of  medicine  as  a  means  of  procuring  brandy  for  his 
own  consumption. 

The  first  American  doctors  in  San  Diego  were  the  United 
States  Army  surgeons  who  came  with  the  troops.  Lewis  B.  Hun- 
ter and  R.  F.  Maxwell,  the  surgeons  of  the  Cyane,  and  the  three 
doctors  with  Fremont's  battalion,  who  arrived  July  29,  1846, 
were  undoubtedly  the  first,  but  they  did  not  remain.  There  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  a  surgeon  with  the  little  garrison  left 
under  Captain  Merritt :  but  when  Commodore  Stockton  arrived 


FIRST  AMERICAN  PHYSICIAN 


599 


with  his  ships,  early  in  November,  tlie  surgeons  attached  to  his 
fleet  landed  with  the  men  and  performed  duty  on  shore.  After 
the  battle  of  San  Pasqnal,  they  were  joined  by  Dr.  John  S. 
Griffin,  the  surgeon  of  Kearny's  force.  These  doctors  found 
themselves  confronted  by  the  problem  of  providing  hospital 
accommodations  for  the  w^ounded  men.  This  was  accomplished 
by  quartering  them  with  the  private  families  in  the  town,  where 


DR.    DAVID   B.    HOFFMAN 
One  of  the  earliest  physicians,  and  first  president  of  the  County  Medical  Society 


the  surgeons  could  visit  them.  From  this  time  onward,  San 
Diego  was  not  again  left  without  a  physician  and  surgeon.  There 
were  always  government  troops  present,  in  San  Diego  or  at  the 
mission,  and  the  surgeons  attached  to  these  small  commands 
bridged  the  gap  between  the  Mexican  occupation  and  the  com- 
ing of  civilian  physicians  by  doing  a  little  practice  outside  their 
official  routine. 

The  honor  of  being  the  first  American  practicing  physician 
in  San  Diego  probably  belongs  to  Dr.  Frederick  J.  Painter.  He 
was  an  invalid  and  died  November  30,  1853,  at  which  time  it  was 
stated  that  he  was  an  old  resident,  but  very  little  information 


600 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


about  him  is  ^iven.  His  professional  card  appeared  in  the  first 
nnml)er  of  the  Herald,  May  29.  1851,  and  he  is  mentioned  at  dif- 
ferent times  in  that  paper.  He  acted  for  a  time  as  clerk  of  the 
common  council  in  1851 — a  position  which  paid  $50  per  month. 
There  were  at  least  two  other  men  in  San  Dieti'o  about  the 
same  time  as  Dr.  Painter  who  are  called  "doctor"  in  the  rec- 
ords, but  no  evidence  has  been  found  that  they  engaged  in  prac- 
tice. These  are  Dr.  John  Conger  and  Dr.  Atkins  S.  Wright. 
The  former  acted  as  secretary  of  the  ayuHtaniicuto  before  the 
American  civil  administration  began,  and  as  clerk  of  the  com- 
mon council  thi'oiighont  th(^  rear  1850,  at  the  time  the  "bood- 


DR.   JOHN  S.    GRIFFIN 
Surgeon  of  Kearney's  forces  at  the  Battle  of  San  Pasqual 


ling"  council  was  in  power.  Dr.  Wright  was  a  member  of  this 
first  council,  chosen  June  16,  1850,  and  served  one  term.  He 
WRS  also  city  translator  and  interpreter  and  was  well  paid  for 
his  services. 

Dr.  David  B.  Hoffman  was  the  next  regular  practicing  physi- 
cian to  locate  in  San  Diego.  A  brief  biography  of  him  has  been 
given.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Toland  Medical  College.  When 
he  came  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  he  was  at  first  in  the  employ  of  the 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company,  between  Panama  and  San 
Francisco.  His  card  first  appears  in  the  Herald  on  December 
1,  1855,  «hieh  prol)ably  marks  the  date  when  he  left  the  employ 
of  the  steamship  company  and  settled  in  San  Diego.  In  later 
years  he  was  post  surgeon  of  the  armv  in  San  Diego.    When  the 


OLD  TOWN  PHYSICIANS  601 

Sail  Diego  County  Medical  Society  was  formed,  July  23,  1870, 
he  was  chosen  president  of  the  organization,  and  the  address 
which  he  delivered  on  that  occasion  is  extant. 

On  April  19,  1856,  Dr.  George  E.  Knight's  card  appeared  in 
the  Herald,  but,  apparently,  he  only  remained  a  short  time. 

Dr.  Edward  Burr  came  to  San  Diego  from  Oakland  soon  after 
the  Civil  War,  and  was  coroner  and  county  physician  for  sev- 
eral years,  being  first  elected  in  18(57  and  again  in  the  four  suc- 
ceeding years.  He  was  a  native  of  Ireland  and  what  would  now 
be  called  "a  doctor  of  the  old  school."  Dr.  R.  J.  Gregg  was  his 
assistant  for  a  time  in  1868-69. 

An  old  resident  of  New  San  Diego  relates  that  wlieii  lie  came, 
in  1869,  it  was  often  necessary  for  him  to  go  to  Old  Town  on 
business,  and  for  this  purpose  he  was  accustomed  to  take  Seeley's 
coach  which  ran  between  the  two  towns.  The  first  time  he  made 
this  trip,  the  coach  halted  in  front  of  Dr.  Burr's  office,  and  the 
doctor  came  out  and  sprayed  all  the  passengers  with  some  li(|uid 
from  a  small  perfumery  spray.  There  was  a  smallpox  scare  on 
at  this  time,  and  it  was  his  duty,  as  county  physician,  to  disin- 
fect all  travelers  arriving  at  the  county  seat,  and  that  was  the 
way  he  did  it. 

Dr.  George  McKinstry,  Jr.,  came  to  California  in  1846  and 
was  somewhat  prominent  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  before 
coming  to  San  Diego.  He  was  first  sheriff  of  the  northern  dis- 
trict, at  Sutter's  Fort,  in  1846-47,  and  a  business  man  at  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Francisco  at  a  very  early  day.  He  left  a  val- 
uable diary.     He  died  before  1880. 

The  physicians  at  Old  Town  when  Horton  came  were  TToft'- 
man.  Burr,  and  McKinstry,  who  had  settled  in  the  order 
named. 

The  first  ])hysician  to  settle  in  Horton 's  Addition  was  Dr. 
Jacob  Allen,  who  came  from  Santa  Clara  in  the  spring  of  1869. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Toland  Medical  College.  He  had  his 
residence,  drug  store,  and  office  (ui  the  east  side  of  Fifth  Street, 
near  F.  He  was  also  the  first  postmaster  and  kept  the  post- 
office  in  his  drug  store.  He  remained  here  several  years,  but 
many  years  ago  removed  to  Riverside,  where  he  died.  He  was 
the  father  of  Legare  Allen,  a  well-known  official  and  business 
man  of  San  Bernardino.  He  was  engaged  in  a  number  of  activ- 
ities and  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  an  able  man. 

Dr.  Robert  J.  Gregg  is  the  pioneer  of  the  physicians  now 
living  in  San  Diego.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  a 
graduate  of  Jefferson  INledical  College,  Philadelphia.  He 
started  west  in  the  spring  of  1864  and  reached  Texas,  where 
he  had  yellow  fever,  and  had  to  return  home.  In  1868  he 
came  to   San   Dieao,   arriving   October   16,   and  settled   at   Old 


602 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Town.  After  acting  as  assistant  to  Dr.  Burr  a  few  months, 
he  opened  an  office  of  his  own  in  Horton's  Addition,  on  the 
west  side  of  Fifth  Street,  opposite  Dr.  Allen's  drug  store. 
He  has  since  resided  in  New  San  Diego  and  practiced  until  his 
retirement,  a  few  years  ago.  and  is  one  of  the  best  known  phy- 
sicians in  Southern  California. 

The  next  oldest  pioneer  physician  of  New  San  Diego  is  Dr. 
Thomas  C.  Stockton,  who  came  here  in  1869.     He  is  a  native 


DR.    ROBERT  J.    GREGG 

Who  settled  at  Old  Town  in  1868.  but  soon  removed  to  the  present  city,  where  he  practiced 

for  more  than  thirty  years.     A  man  of  rare  culture,  his  writings  and  occasional 

addresses  on  literary  topics  enriched  the  city's  intellectual  life 


of  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  and  a  graduate  of  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital School.  He  was  chosen  coroner  in  1875  and  served  two 
years,  also  as  coroner  and  public  administrator  in  1880-1-2-3, 
and  as  city  health  officer  at  different  times.  Having  purchased 
the  property  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Columbia  and  F  Streets, 
he  leased  it  to  the  government  for  thirteen  years  and  then  he 
and  Dr.  Reraondino  occupied  it  for  four  or  five  years  as  a  san- 
itarium.   He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  San  Diego  County 


CAREER  OF  DR.  REMONDINO 


603 


Medical  Society,  iu  1870,  and  a  regular  practitioner  still  in 
practice.  His  reminiscences  of  early  days  are  most  valuable 
as  well  as  his  collections,  among  which  is  a  record  of  births, 
kept  before  physicians  were  officially  required  to  make  such 
returns. 

Dr.  P.  C.  Remondino  is  also  one  of  the  few  living  pioneer 
physicians.  He  is  a  native  of  Turin,  Italy,  whose  parents  came 
to  America  while  he  was  young.  He  graduated  from  Jefferson 
Medical  College,  Philadelphia,  in  1865.     Coming  to  San  Diego 


DR.    THOMAS   C.    STOCKTON 

A  pioneer  physician  of  New  San  Diego  and  relative  of  Commodore  Stockton.    Has  served  as 
coroner,  public  administrator  and  city  health  officer 


in  January,  1874,  he  opened  an  office  next  door  to  his  old  class- 
mate. Dr.  Gregg,  and  entered  at  once  upon  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  He  was  city  physician  in  1875-76 ;  county  physi- 
cian for  several  terms;  surgeon  for  the  California  Southern 
Railroad  Company  for  some  time;  surgeon  of  the  Marine  Hos- 
pital, also  surgeon  for  the  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company. 
In  1887  he  retired  and  built  the  St.  James  Hotel.  In  later 
years  he  resumed  practice  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  it. 


604 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


He  is  the  aiithor  of  several  works  on  medical  subjects  which 
have  a  wide  popularity,  and  is  engay,"ed  in  the  preparation  of 
others.  His  technical  library'  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  United 
States. 

In  187-1  the  physicians  in  San  Diego  were :  Drs.  D.  B.  Hotif- 
man,  Edward  Burr,  J.  Allen.  R.  J.  Gregg,  T.  G.  Stockton,  P. 
C.  Reniondino,  W.  W.  Royal,  Wm.  A.  Winder,  and  Ghas.  M. 
Fenn.    Dr.  Feini  eame  to  New  San  Diego  soon  after  Dr.  Gregg, 


DR.    p.    C.    REMONDINO 

Equally  distinguished  as  physician  and  author.     His  "Mediterranean  Shores  of  America" 

and  similar  writings  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  making  the 

fame  of  the  San  Diego  climate 


but  did  not  engage  in  practice  for  some  time  after  his  arrival. 
He  served  as  county  coroner,  county  physician,  and  public 
administrator  several  terms  between  the  vears  1873  and  1885. 
He  died  in  March,  1907. 

Dr.  Winder  is  one  of  the  best  remembered  of  the  later  resi- 
dents of  Old  Town.  He  was  a  native  of  Maryland  who  had 
led  an  adventurous  life  and  was  a  veteran  of  both  the  Mexican 
and  Givil  Wars.     In   1854  he  sailed  from  New  York  as  a  cap- 


DR.    FRED   BAKER 


DR.    P.    J.    PARKER 


DR.    A.    J.    ELLIOTT  DR.    JOSEPH   C.    HEARNE 

REPRESENTATIVE   PHYSICIANS 


606 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


tain  with  the  Third  Artillery  Regiment,  for  San  Francisco. 
The  ship  was  wrecked  and  decimated  by  cholera,  but  he  was 
among  those  rescued.  Arriving  at  San  Diego,  he  was  stationed 
here  and  at  Fort  Yuma  until  the  Civil  War.  After  that  war, 
he  resigned  his  commission  and,  in  1872,  settled  at  San  Diego 
and  engaged  in  practice.  After  practicing  about  twelve  years 
he  retired.  He  was  a  man  of  character  and  had  other  interests 
besides   those  mentioned.       He   painted  the   portrait   of   Judge 


DR.    DAVID   GOCHENAUER 

Located,  1886;  founded  the  Agnew  hospital,  1898;  built  Ag-new  Sanitarium,  1906:  president 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  1907;  county  physician  since  1895 


Witherby  which   now  hangs   in  the  court  house,   and  was  the 
owner  of  Winder's  Addition  to  San  Diego. 

There  were  also  in  1874  the  following  other  physicians  in 
New  San  Diego :  Drs.  T.  S.  Harrison,  W.  S.  Williams,  Cluness 
Bibb,  and  Drs.  Tufford  and  Barnes,  the  latter  being  the  first 
homeopathist  in  San  Diego.  Dr.  F.  R.  Millard  came  in  Octo- 
ber, 1874,  and  still  lives  here,  keeping  a  drug  store.  This  com- 
pletes the  list  of  early  physicians. 


THE  COUNTY  HOSPITALS 


607 


The  first  county  hospital  was  tiie  old  cobblestone  jail  which 
Haraszthy  built,  at  Old  Town.  It  was  used  for  a  short  time, 
and  then,  about  1869.  a  large  frame  house  at  Old  Town  was 
rented  for  the  purpose. 

After  the  county  offices  were  removed  to  New  San  Diego, 
one  of  the  old  houses  built  by  William  Heath  Davis  was  pur- 
chased by  Captain   Knowles   and   removed  to   Eleventh   Street 


DR.    C.    C.   VALLE 

Located,  1885;  city  trustee,  1887;  later,  member  of  city  council;  appointed  San  Diego  County 
Health  Officer,  1904;  identified  with  progress  of  county,  particularly  mining  industries 


in  Horton's  Addition,  and  was  later  used  as  a  hospital.  It  is 
still  standing,  and  is  now  occupied  as  a  residence. 

The  county  farm  in  ^Mission  Valley  was  purchased  in  Jan- 
uary, 1880,  from  the  Commercial  Bank.  The  magnificent  new 
brick  hospital  building  on  the  rim  of  the  mesa  overlooking  the 
valley  w^as  erected  in  1903-4.  It  is  generously  supported  and 
well  managed  and  is  a  credit  to  the  pcoi)l('  of  San  Diego  County. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  physicians  of  San  Diego  at  the  pres- 
ent time.  They  are  a  fine  body  of  men  and  women,  who  hold 
the  professional  standard  high : 


608 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Anderson,   Tlionias   B. 
Averill,   Maria    B. 
Baker,    Charlotte    J. 
Baker,    Frtd 
Burney,    William    A. 
Burnham,    Fred    R. 
Butler,    Edward    A. 
Crandall,  Alice   II. 
Cuniniings,    William    M. 
De    Borra,    Alexis 
Doig,    Robt  rt    L. 
Elliott,    Albert    .1. 
Escher,   John   F. 


Hiilbert,    Robert    G. 
Kendall,   Oscar   J. 
Klietsch,    Otto 
Latta,    Lelia 
L(  isenring,   Peter  B. 
Lentz,   Nicholas 
ilowe,    Robei't    C. 
Lewis,   Eva.   M. 
Lewis,    J.    Perry 
Luscomb,    Charles    E. 
Madison,    Frank    M. 
Mayee,    Thomas   L. 
Marsh,    Charles   E. 


BUILDINGS   AT   COLUMBIA   AND   F   STREETS 
Used  by  Drs.  Stockton  and  Remondino  as  a  sanitarium  for  several  years 


Fenn,   Charles   M. 
Fletcher,    Oliver    P. 
Franklin,    Berte    V. 
French,    James    M. 
Gochenauer,    David 
GofP,  H.  Neville 
Goldschmidt,  Leopold 
Grandjean,   Arthur 
Greene,  Dr.   &  Co. 
Gregg,    Robert    J. 
Grove,   Edward 
Hearne,   Joseph    C. 
Hoffman,    Mary    E. 


Mead,   Francis    H. 
Morgan,  Addison 
Murphy,   George   8. 
Northrup,  Daniel   B. 
Oatman,   Homer   C. 
Parker,    P.    James 
Parks,    Joseph    A. 
Polhemus,   W.   P. 
Potts,   Anna  M.   L. 
Powell,    Charles    S. 
Remondino,    Peter    C. 
Reyber,  Ernst  L. 
Roberts,  Samuel  li. 


ROLL  OF  PHYSICIANS 


609 


Skewes,   Thomas  J.  D. 
Smart,    VVillard   N. 
8mitli,   David   A. 
Smith,   (^.   Cincinnatiis 
Steade,   James    M. 
Stockton,    Thomas    C. 
Stone,    John    B. 


Byars,  William  R. 
Creswell,  Lena 
Elliott,   David   H. 


Sundberg,  John  C. 
Thayer,  Orson   V. 
Valle,  Charles  C. 
Verity,   Minnie   E. 
Waterman,    Elmer 
Willard,    E.    P. 


OSTEOPATHS 


J. 

L. 


Frazer,    Cliarles    F. 
Woodhull,    Anna    B. 
Woodhnll,   Frederick   B. 


■ST" 


F 


ij— ii|--tB     ii 


THE  NEW  COUNTY  HOSPITAL 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    PUBLIC   LIBRARY 

ETWEEN  the  fine  library  of  today,  in  its  rich 
Carnegie  housing,  and  the  earliest  organized 
aspiration  of  the  people  for  such  an  institu- 
tion la}^  a  score  of  years,  marked  by  numer- 
ous vicissitudes.  The  humble  beginnings  of 
the  free  public  library  date  back  to  January 
24,  1870,  when  the  first  organization  was 
formed  at  a  meeting  in  the  Baptist  Church. 
It  was  soon  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Horton  Library 
Association  and  was  founded  on  the  promise  of  Mr.  Horton 
to  donate  600  volumes  which  he  had  acquired  from  H.  H.  Ban- 
croft in  exchange  for  lots.  Unfortunately,  there  was  a  dis- 
agreement with  the  donor,  which  ended  in  the  withdrawal  of 
the  offer  and  the  filing  of  new  articles  of  incorporation  under 
the  name  of  the  San  Diego  Library  Association. 

Says  one  of  the  members :  ' '  The  only  book  the  old  Library 
Association  ever  owned  was  a  pamphlet  containing  an  address 
before  the  Bunker  Hill  Association,  by  George  Warren,  presi- 
dent of  that  society.  This  pamphlet  was  donated  by  Rev. 
Charles  Russell  Clark,  of  this  city."  Li  April,  1870,  Mrs.  E. 
W.  Morse  gave  the  association  Lot  1,  Block  18,  Horton 's  Addi- 
tion (now  occupied  by  Unity  Hall),  which  afterward  became 
the  property  of  the  Society  of  Natural  History.  It  was  not 
until  several  years  later,  however,  that  efforts  to  put  the  asso- 
ciation upon  a  working  basis  proved  successful. 

The  San  Diego  Free  Reading  Room  Association  was  organ- 
ized March  1,  1872,  and  maintained  until  the  library  was  opened 
to  the  public,  in  1882.  It  was  a  movement  by  a  number  of  the 
same  citizens  who  had  organized  the  Library  Association,  to 
provide  a  free  reading  room  where  periodicals  could  be  found, 
until  such  time  as  the  library  could  be  put  upon  a  working 
basis.  The  first  officers  were:  Charles  S.  Hamilton,  president; 
George  W.  Marston,  vice-president;  R.  C.  Grierson,  secretary; 
E.  W.  Morse,  treasurer;  W.  A.  Begole,  Bryant  Howard,  and 
S.  G.  Reynolds,  trustees.  INIr.  Cleveland  was  active  in  the  work 
of  the  organization.  The  reading  room  was  situated  on  Fifth 
Street,  next  door  to  the  postoffice,  and  was  open  from  10  A.M. 
to  10  P.M.     In  March.   1873,   a   concert  given  in   its   aid  pro- 


FIRST  LIBRARY 


611 


duced  $100,  and  ]Mr.  Horton  gave  it  the  books  which  had  been 
the  bone  of  contention  with  the  first  association.  Tliese  were 
afterward  turned  over  to  the  new  public  library.  In  October, 
1879,  interest  had  flagged,  the  association  was  in  debt,  and  the 
Union  made  urgent  appeals  for  its  support.  There  was  some 
talk  of  a  tax  for  its  support  in  1881,  but  the  vicAvs  of  those 
who  held  that  the  time  had  come  for  the  establishment  of  the 
public  library  prevailed. 


THE   PUBLIC   LIBRARY 


The  first  officers  of  the  San  Diego  Library  Association  m 
1870  were:  G.  W.  B.  McDonald,  president;  A.  Pauly,  vice- 
president;  E.  W.  Morse,  treasurer;  C.  Dunham,  recording  sec- 
retarv;  Daniel  Cleveland,  corresponding  secretary;  G.  W.  B. 
McDonald,  G.  A.  Jones,  J.  Allen,  C.  Dunham,  J.  W.  Gale,  D. 
Cleveland,  A.  W.  Oliver,  A.  Pauly,  and  J.  M.  Pierce,  trustees. 
These  men  and  their  successors  kept  the  spark  alive  until  INIay 
19,  1882,  when  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  the  San  Diego  Free 
Public  Librarv  was  organized.  This  first  official  board  consisted 
of  Bryant  Howard,  E.  AV.  Hendrick,  George  N.  Hitchcock, 
George  W.  Marston,  and  R.  M.  Powers.  Howard  was  made  pres- 
ident;   Hendrick.    secretary;    and    Hitchcock,    treasurer.      The 


612  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Commercial  Bank  offered  the  use  of  a  suite  of  five  rooms  iu  its 
building  free  for  six  mouths,  aud  the  offer  was  accepted.  Many 
citizens  made  donations  of  books,  and  others  gave  money. 
Among  these  early  friends  of  the  institution  appear  the  names 
of  Bryant  Howard,  E.  W.  Hendrick,  A.  E.  Horton,  Judge  Alfred 
Cowles.  Judge  M.  A.  Luce.  J.  C.  Frisbie.  Rev.  Mr.  Cronyn,  Dr. 
Remondino,  Charles  Treanor,  George  N.  Hitchcock,  Joseph 
Faivre,  Mrs.  Harriet  Marston.  and  others.  Generous  givers  iu 
later  years  include  Charles  Xoi'dhoff,  Daniel  Cleveland,  George 
W.  Marston.  and  others.  On  July  15,  1882,  the  library  was  for- 
mally opened  to  the  pul:)lic.  with  Archibald  Hooker  as  librarian. 
The  loaning  out  of  books  did  not  begin  until  early  in  Septem- 
ber, 1883.  August  6,  1884,  Augustus  Wooster  became  librarian 
and  continued  to  act  until  September  6,  1887,  when  ]\Iiss  Lou 
Younkin  was  appointed  liln-arian  and  Miss  ^lary  E.  YTalker 
became  her  assistant. 

When  first  opened,  the  library  seems  to  have  depended  largely 
upon  donations  of  books ;  but  the  raising  of  funds  by  taxation 
soon  provided  means  for  the  purchase  of  new  books  upon  a  more 
liberal  scale.  The  amount  raised  for  the  Iil)rary  by  taxation  in 
1881  was  $618.19.  This  grew  to  over  $2,000  in  1886,  then  took 
a  jump  to  $11,557.48  in  the  inflated  days  of  1887.  but  dropped 
to  less  than  $6,000  the  next  year.  The  number  of  volumes  in 
1887  was  1,800;  a  year  later  it  was  5,500.  and  iu  another  year 
was  7,000. 

In  1889  the  fourth  floor  of  the  Consolidated  Bank  Building 
was  leased  for  four  years,  at  a  rental  of  $150  per  month.  The 
first  catalogue  was  issued  early  in  this  year.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  lease,  the  library  Avas  removed  to  the  St.  James  building, 
corner  Seventh  and  F  Streets,  over  the  postoffice.  Some  1,200 
volumes  were  added  in  1892,  and  iu  1894  the  total  was  11,000 
volumes.  Early  in  1895,  the  second  catalogue  was  issued,  con- 
forming to  the  Dewey  classification,  which  is  still  in  use.  Miss 
Younkin  was  succeeded  by  ]Miss  Mary  E.  "Walker,  as  librarian, 
in  December,  1895.  and  she  by  Mrs.  Hannah  P.  Davison  in  May, 
1903.     The  latter  is  the  present  incumbent. 

In  April,  1898,  the  ui)iier  floor  of  the  Keating  building,  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  F  Streets,  was  leased  and  the 
library  moved  thither,  where  it  remained  until  the  construction 
of  the  present  library  building. 

In  June,  1899,  ]\Irs.  A.  E.  Horton  wrote  Andrew  Carnegie 
concerning  the  need  of  a  library  building  in  San  Diego,  appeal- 
ing to  the  philanthropist  for  aid.  She  received  the  following 
reply : 


BOARDS  OF  TRUSTEES  613 

July  7,  1899. 
i/rs.  A.  E.  Eorton,  San  Diego  Pxihlic  Lihrari/, 
iladaiu  :■ — - 
If  the  city   were   to   pledge   itself   to   maintain   a   free   public 
library   from   the   taxes,   say   to   the   extent   of   the   amount  you 
name,   of   between   five   and   six    thousand    dollars   a   year,   and 
provide   a   suitalile   site,  I   shall   be  glad  to   give  you  $50,000  to 
erect  a  suitable  library  building. 

Very   truly  yours, 

Andrew  Caenegie. 

The  trustees  immediately  accepted  the  offer  and  took  steps 
to  enable  the  city  to  meet  its  conditions.  After  several  months' 
consideration  a  half-block  was  i)urchased  on  E  Street,  between 
Eighth  and  Ninth,  for  $17,000.  Plans  were  snl)mitted  by  archi- 
tects all  over  the  country  and  those  of  Ackerman  &  Ross  of  New 
York  were  accepted.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on  March  19, 
1901,  with  ]\Iasonic  ceremonies.  ]\Irs.  Horton  read  an  historical 
review  and  Judge  M.  A.  Luce  delivered  an  oration.  The  build- 
ing is  not  only  a.  great  ornament  to  the  city,  but  provides  ample 
acconmiodation  for  the  various  departments  of  the  institution. 

A  list  of  the  trustees,  from  the  earliest  doAvu  to  date,  follows : 

BOARDS  OF  LIBRARY  TRUSTEES 

HORTOX     LIBRARY     ASSOCL^TION.  ' 

January,  1870.       G.  W.  B.  McDonald,  President. 
G.  A.  .Tones. 
J.   Allen. 

C.  Dunham,    Recording   Secretarv. 
J.  W.   Gale. 

D.  Cleveland,  Corresponding  Secretary. 
A.   W.   Oliver. 

A.  Pauly,  Vice-President. 
A.  E.  Horton. 

E.  W.    Morse,    Treasurer. 

FIRST    OFFICERS    OF    THE    SAX    DIEGO    LIBRARY    ASSOCIATIOX^. 

1870. 

G.  W.  B.  McDonald,  President. 

A.  Pauly,  Vice-President. 

E.    W.    Morse,    Treasurer. 

C.   Dunham,   Recording  Secretary. 

Daniel   Cleveland,   Corresponding  Secretary. 

A.  Pauly,  J.  M.  Pierce,  G.   A.  Jones,  J.   Allen, 

C.  Dunham,   J.   W.   Gale,  Daniel   Cleveland,   A. 
W.  Oliver,  G.  W.  B.  McDonald,  Trustees. 

May  2.3,  lS7o.       E.  W.  Morse,  President. 

William  S.  Gregg,  Vicr-Prr sidrnt. 

D.  Cleveland,   Treasurer. 

C.  Dunham,  Recording  Secretar3^ 
J.  W.  Gale. 
A.   TV.    Oliver. 


614  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Jacob  Allen. 

W.  A.  Begole. 

Charles   S.   Hamilton,   Corresponding  Secretary. 

OFFICERS    OF    THE    SAN    DIEGO    FREE    READING   ROOM    ASSOOIATIO". 

Charles  S.  Hamilton,  President. 
Served  George  W.  Marston,  Vice-President, 

from  E.  C.  Grierson,  Secretary. 

March  8, 1872    E.  W.  Morse,  Treasurer, 
to  1882.  W.  A.  Begole,  Bryant  Howard,  S.  G.  Eeynolds, 

Trustees. 

SAN    DIEGO    FREE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY. 

First  Board. 

May   22,   1882.      Bryant    Howard,   President. 

E.  W.  Hendrick,  Secretary. 

Geo.  N.   Hitchcock,   Treasurer. 

G.  W.  Marston. 

E.   M.   Powers. 
Second  Board,  June  7,  1887. 

D.  Cave,  President 

E.  W.   Hendrick. 
John  Ginty. 

E.  T,  Blackmer. 

G.  N.  Hitchcock. 
Third  Board,  June,  1889. 

I).  Cave,  President. 

E.  W.  Hendrick. 

John  Ginty. 

George,  N.   Hitchcock,  Secretary. 

E.  T.   Blackmer. 
Pourth  Board,  May,  1893,  the  same  members  having  held  office 

from  June,   1887   to  May,  1893. 

D.  Cave,  President. 
Philip  Morse. 
Charles  S.   Hamilton. 

E.  W.  Hendrick. 

H.  M.  Kutchin,  Secretary. 
Fifth  Board,  May,  1895. 

D.  Cave,  President. 

E.  W.  Hendrick. 
George  W.  Marston. 
Philip  Morse. 

Harriet  W.  Phillips,  Secretary. 
Sixth  Board,  May,  1897. 

D.  Cave,  President.       In  August,  1897,  D.  Cave 

E.  W.  Hendrick.  sent  in  his  resignation  as 
George  W.  Marston.       member  of  the  Board — 

Philip  Morse.  accepted    Dec.    14,    1897, 

Lydia  M.   Horton,  and      Dr.      Fred      Baker 

Secretary.  appointed    in    his    place. 

Seventh  Board,  May,  1899. 

Philip  Morse. 
Frederick   W.   Stearns. 
E.   W.  Hendrick. 
James  W.  Somers. 
Lydia  M.  Horton. 


BOARDS  OF  TRUSTEES  615 

Eighth   Board,  May,   1901. 

Philip  Morse. 

Frederick  W.  Stearns. 

Ernest    E.    White. 

A.    Will    Angler. 

Lydia  M.  Horton. 
Ninth  Board,  May,  1903. 

Leroy  A.  Wright,  President.     October,  1903,  Mrs. 

Lydia  M.  Horton,  Secretary.    Horton      resigned, 

Frederick  W.  Stearns.  and   August,   1904, 

J.   C.  Hearne.  the  vacancy  was  filled  by  the 

C.   F.    Francisco,    appointment   of   Julius   Wan- 
genheim. 
Tenth  Board,  May,  1905,  as  appointed  by  Mayor  Frank  P.  Frary. 

Leroy   A.   Wright,   3   years. 

Frederick  W.   Stearns,  President,   2  years. 

Julius  Wangenheim,  4  years. 

H.    P.    Davison,    Secretary. 
January  5,  1906,  a  new  board  was  appointed  by  Mayor  Sehon 

as   follows: 

Sam  Ferry  Smith,  President,  2  years, 

Eev.   Clarence  T.  Brown,  3  years. 

Col.  Fred  Jewell,  4  years. 


CHAPTER  VI 
STORY  OF  THE   CITY  PARKS 

1 1 E  time  has  come  when  everybody  can  see  that 
the  great  City  Park  (which  is  worthy  of  a 
more  iiotal)le  name)  is  destined  to  be  one  of 
the  chief  beauties  and  glories  of  San  Diego 
and  one  of  the  famous  parks  of  the  world. 
For  many  years  it  looked  otherwise,  for  the 
reservation  of  1.400  acres  in  the  heart  of  the 
town  appeared  like  the  most  hopeless  of  waste 
places  and  few  believed  that  it  would  be  possible  to  command 
the  water,  the  money,  and  the  genius  to  develop  it  to  the  high- 
est advantage.  Suddenly  the  situation  changed.  Civic  pride 
was  aroused  and  directed  along  intelligent  lines.  The  finest 
landscape  architects  were  employed  to  work  out  comprehensive 
plans  and  i)ut  them  in  the  way  of  gradual  realization.  ]\Ioney 
was  obtained  from  private  and  juiblic  sources  to  carry  on  the 
work,  and  its  administration  was  vested  in  the  hands  of  devoted 
citizens  who  stood  ready  to  give  freely  of  their  time  and  thought 
to  this  labor  of  love. 

It  is  seldom,  if  ever,  trne  that  a  great  pul)li('  development  may 
justly  be  credited  to  any  single  individual.  The  histoi-v  of  the 
City  Park  is  no  exception,  as  we  shall  see.  yet  in  this  instance 
there  is  one  man  who  did  so  much,  and  did  it  so  generously  and 
wisely,  that  he  is  entitled  to  unstinted  praise  and  to  lasting 
remembrance.  This  man  is  George  W.  Marston.  He  was  one 
of  the  few  who  never  lost  faith  in  the  possibilities  of  that  large 
tract  of  arid  land,  and  he  was  the  man  who  came  forward  at 
the  critical  moment  to  employ  the  finest  genius  in  America  to 
translate  the  barren  wilderness  into  a  spot  of  perennial  beauty 
by  means  of  a  well-conceived,  harmonious,  unified  design  for  its 
artistic  development.  The  undertaking  cost  him  $10,000  to  start 
with,  and  this  was  doubtless  but  the  l)eginning  of  his  benefac- 
tion. As  in  all  such  cases,  his  financial  contribution  was  of  less 
value  than  the  moral  influence  which  it  set  in  motion,  for  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  whole  citizenship  was  immediately  enlisted  in 
behalf  of  this  neglected  asset  of  San  Diego.  While  the  history 
of  the  park  reflects  credit  upon  manv  individuals,  as  M'ell  as 
upon  the  city  as  a  whole,  it  will  doubtless  be  regarded  in  the 


CREATION  OF  THE  PARK  617 

future  as  an  enduring  memorial  to  Mr.  Marston's  pnblic  spirit 
and  civic  pride. 

Before  the  coming  of  Horton,  there  was  so  much  land  belong- 
ing to  the  city,  and  it  was  worth  so  little,  that  it  did  not  occur 
to  anyone  that  it  was  necessary  to  reserve  a  large  tract  from 
sale  for  park  purposes.  The  trustees  were  glad  to  get  rid  of 
it,  to  secure  settlei's  and  pay  the  city's  debts.  There  is  a  record 
of  two  160-acre  tracts  being  sold  for  less  than  seven  cents  an 
acre.  But  when  the  great  dream  began  to  come  true,  when  Hor- 
ton's  new  town  began  to  rise  on  the  brushy  mesas,  and  the  city 
lands  began  to  sell  rapidly,  it  was  seen  that  the  best  of  them 
would  soon  be  gone  and  that,  if  a  park  were  to  be  reserved,  it 
was  necessary  to  act  without  delay. 

The  first  official  action  was  taken  on  February  15,  1868,  when 
E.  W.  ]\Iorse  presented  a  resolution  to  the  board  of  trustees 
"that  the  present  board  reserve  two  of  the  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acre  tracts  of  the  city  lands  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  San  Diego  a  suitable  park." 
The  members  of  the  board  were  J.  S.  ]\Iannasse.  Thomas  IT. 
Bush,  and  E.  W.  ]\Iorse.  President  ^lannasse  appointed  Morse 
and  Bush  a  committee  to  select  the  320  acres,  which  it  was 
thought  would  be  sufficient;  "but  afterward,"  said  Mr.  Morse, 
"when  we  found  so  much  land,  we  concluded  to  lay  out  a  larger 
jiark. "  The  committee  certainlv  exercised  excellent  judgment 
in  its  selection.  Thev  selected"  pueblo  lots  1129,  1130,  1131, 
1135,  1136,  1137.  1142.  1U3,  and  1144.  comprising  a  solid  block 
of  nine  quarter-sections.  In  the  meantime,  however,  on  the  13th 
day  of  February.  1868.  Isabella  Carruthers  stole  a  inarch  upon 
them  and  bought  the  southwest  ((uarter  of  lot  1144  for  $175, 
Avhich  took  a  40-acre  "bite"  out  of  the  southwest  corner  of  their 
tract.  The  miinites  of  the  trustees'  meetings  are  very  scanty, 
but  it  appears  that  on  May  26th  it  was  resolved  that  this  tract 
"be  for  a  park."  The  trustees  who  took  this  action  were  Jose 
Guadalupe  Estudillo.  Marcus  Schiller,  and  Joshiui  Sloane. 

It  was  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  the  reservation  of  this 
large  tract  at  such  an  early  day  would  pass  unchallenged. 
There  were  those  who  honestly  thought  it  against  the  public 
interest  to  try  to  maintain  so  large  a  park.  and.  it  is  to  be  feared, 
others  who  were  interested  only  in  the  profits  they  hoped  to 
make  out  of  the  sale  of  these  lands,  if  they  could  succeed  in  hav- 
ing them  thrown  upon  the  market. 

The  effort  to  cut  down  the  size  of  the  park  began  early  and 
lasted  long.  On  February  4,  1870.  an  act  Avas  passed  by  the 
state  legislature  to  insure  the  permanency  of  the  reservation, 
which  declared  that  the  tract  should  "be  held  in  trust  forever 
by  the  municipal  authorities  of  the  said  city  for  the  use  and  pur- 


GEORGE  W.    MARSTON 

San  Diego's  leading  merchant  who  began  with  the  town's  small  beginnings  and  grew  with 

its  growth.     Conspicuously  identified  with  every  movement  for  civic  progress, 

his  great  and  lasting  contribution  to  the  community  is  his 

work  for  the    City   Park 


FIGHTING  FOR  THE  PARK  619 

poses  of  a  public  park,  and  for  no  other  or  different  purpose." 
After  this  bill  had  been  introduced,  it  Avas  discovered  that  an 
effort  had  been  made  to  defeat  its  purpose  surreptitiously  by- 
inserting  a  provision  for  the  sale  of  480  acres,  and  the  restora- 
tion of  the  bill  to  its  original  form  was  only  accomplished  by 
prompt  and  strenuous  action  by  the  friends  of  the  park.  At  the 
next  ensuing  session  an  effort  was  made  to  repeal  this  act,  which 
was  only  defeated  by  a  remonstrance  signed  by  all  the  leading 
citizens,  and  nearly  all  the  voters,  of  San  Diego.  Among  those 
most  active  in  working  for  the  preservation  of  the  park  were 
Daniel  Cleveland,  Levi  Chase,  George  W.  Marston,  E.  W.  Morse, 
Dr.  R.  J.  Gregg,  Charles  Hubbell,  A.  E.  Horton,  George  N. 
Hitchcock,  James  M.  Pierce,  Thomas  L.  Nesmith,  Captain 
Mathew  Sherman,  Joshua  Sloane,  and  many  others.  It  would 
be  impossible  to  enumerate  all  these  earliest  and  truest  friends 
of  the  park ;  perhaps  a  word  for  those  who  are  dead  and  gone 
and  cannot  speak  for  themselves  may  be  pardoned. 

Besides  having  the  honor  to  introduce  the  resolution  for  its 
reservation,  and  to  act  as  one  of  the  committee  which  selected 
it,  Mr.  Morse  remained  one  of  the  park's  staunchest  friends  and 
in  the  front  of  every  fight  for  it.  Joshua  Sloane  was  one  of  the 
trustees  who  voted  to  confirm  the  connnittee's  report,  and  in  his 
capacity  as  clerk  of  the  board  was  watchful  of  its  interests  and 
filled  with  righteous  indignation  against  its  enemies. 

Certainly,  the  slow  development  of  the  park  gave  aid  and 
comfort  to  those  who  thought  it  too  large.  The  first  improve- 
ment work  was  accomplished  by  the  Ladies'  Annex  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce.  About  the  year  1880  thev  raised  $500  by 
popular  subscription  and  planted  a  strip  of  10  acres  along  the 
west  side  of  the  park  with  trees.  Perhaps  a  third  of  these  trees 
survive  and  some  of  them  have  prospered  fairly  well.  In  1892 
a  tract  of  36  acres  in  the  northwest  corner  was  leased  to  Miss 
Kate  0.  Sessions  for  use  as  a  nursery,  on  condition  of  the  per- 
manent planting  of  100  trees,  and  the  donation  of  300  more  to 
the  city,  annually.  When  INTiss  Sessions  removed  her  nursery 
there  was  left  the  beginning  of  the  first  satisfactory  planting  in 
the  park. 

The  first  definite  move  toward  the  systematic  development  of 
the  park  began  on  August  15.  1902,  when  ^Ir.  Julius  Wangen- 
heim  suggested  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  the  appointment 
of  a  "Park  Improvement  Committee."  The  committee  consisted 
of  Mr.  Wangenheim,  chairman;  U.  S.  Grant.  Jr..  George  W. 
Marston.  William  Clayton,  and  D.  E.  Garrettson. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  ]\Ir.  Marston  came  forward  with  his 
offer  to  provide  for  the  preparation  of  adequate  plans.  Thus 
encouraged,  the  work  of  obtaining  subscriptions  was  begun  by 


620 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


sub-committees.  The  late  John  Allyn  had  bequeathed  the  city 
$3,000  for  park  improvement  and,  with  this  nucleus,  the  fund 
soon  reached  $11,000,  exclusive  of  Mr.  Marston's  contribution. 
Correspondence  was  begun  with  a  number  of  persons  qualified 
to  give  advice  on  the  sul)ject. 

The  result  was  the  employment  of  Mrs.  M.  B.  Coulston  as  sec- 
retary of  the  Park  Improvement  Committee  and  the  employment 
of  Samuel  Parsons.  Jr..  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  to  prepare  the  plans 


GEORGE   COOKE 

Associated  with    Samuel   Parsons  in   planning  park  improvement  and  superintendent  in 

charge  of  the  work;  also  identified  with  other  works  of  landscape  architecture 

which  have  beautified  the  city  and  its  surroundings 


for  the  improvements.  Mrs.  Coulston  had  been  for  ten  years  one 
of  the  editors  of  Garden  and  Forest,  in  New  York  City.  She 
arrived  in  San  Diego  late  in  September,  and  at  once  began  act- 
ive work  on  behalf  of  the  park,  delivering  addresses  and  writing 
a  large  number  of  contributions  to  the  local  newsj^apers  on  the 
subject,  besides  conducting  correspondence,  keeping  accounts, 
and  aiding  the  committees  in  many  ways.  This  gifted  woman 
went  to  Berkeley  to  pursue  her  studies  in  1904,  and  died  there 


WORK  OF  PARSONS  AND  COOKE  621 

in  July  of  that  year.  IMaiiy  citizens  rendered  imi)ortHnt  serv- 
ices to  the  park  at  this  time,  but  probably  no  other  [)ersons  gave 
so  much  of  the  best  that  was  in  them  as  did  Mrs.  Coulston.  She 
was  of  a  sincere  and  intense  nature  and  threw  herself  into  the 
work  with  a  .ioyful  abandon.  Ilei-  name  and  labors  will  not 
soon  be  forgotten. 

Mr.  Parsons  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  l)eceml)er  21,  1902,  and 
after  a  reception  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  entered  imme- 
diately upon  his  work.  A  contour  map  being  needed,  Mr.  J.  B. 
Lippincott,  of  Los  Angeles,  was  employed  to  prepare  it,  and  as 
fast  as  the  sections  were  finished  they  were  sent  to  the  architects 
in  New  York.  The  map  of  roads  and  paths  for  the  southwestern 
section  of  the  park  was  received  by  the  committee  in  May,  1903, 
and  in  Septeml)er  a  planting  list  showing  the  number  and  kinds 
of  trees.  In  July,  Cxeorge  Parsons  came  and  spent  five  weeks. 
In  August,  an  appropriation  of  $1,700  was  made  for  laying 
water  pipes  on  the  west  side  of  the  park.  On  December  20th, 
George  Cooke,  ]Mr.  Parsons'  partner,  arrived  and  brought  with 
him  a  sketch  of  the  entire  tract  to  be  worked  out.  The  grading 
at  the  south  end  was  at  once  commenced  under  his  direction. 
In  January,  1901,  the  park  map  was  approved. 

On  January  27,  1905,  the  eit\'  charter  was  amended  with  the 
emphatic  approval  of  the  voters  so  as  to  provide  an  annual  park 
appropriation  of  not  less  than  5  or  more  than  8  cents  on  each 
$100  of  assessed  valuation,  to  be  expended  by  the  Park  Connnis- 
sion.  In  1906.  on  the  liasis  of  7  cents  per  $100,  this  amounted 
to  about  $14,000. 

April  17,  1905,  the  first  board  of  park  commissioners,  consist- 
ing of  George  W.  Marston  president,  Ernest  E.  AVhite  secretary, 
and  A.  Moran,  was  appointed.     This  board  is  still  serving. 

The  architects  consider  that  their  i-eal  work  was  only  liegun 
when  the  plan  was  completed,  and  expect  that  it  will  continiu? 
through  all  the  years  in  which  the  plan  is  being  developed.  The 
general  features  of  the  plan  include  the  planting  of  palms  and 
other  trees  which  flourish  with  a  moderate  provision  of  water, 
arranged  in  harmonious  groupings  as  to  foliage  and  color- 
scheme,  care  being  taken  not  to  spoil  the  flue  views  l)y  the  growth 
of  tall  shrubbery  at  strategic  points.  Considerable  planting  has 
already  been  done  and  a  few  of  the  principal  roads  and  paths, 
following  the  winding  contour  of  the  hills,  constructed.  The 
place  offers  unusual  opportunities  for  artistic  achievement  and 
magnificent  natural  effects.  That  the  future  management  of  this 
great  endowment  will  be  worthy  of  the  beginning  that  has  been 
made  must  be  the  hope  of  every  citizen  of  San  Diego. 

The  first  park  in  New  San  Diego  was  not,  of  course,  the  great 
park,  but  that  dedicated  to  public  use  by  William  Heath  Davis 


622 


HISTORY  OF  SAN   DIEGO 


and  his  associates  in  1850.  This  is  in  the  block  bounded  by  F, 
G,  Columbia  and  India  Streets,  known  as  "New  Town  Plaza." 
The  flagpole  now  standing  in  this  park  is  the  one  erected  there 
in  1869.  It  was  brought  from  the  Territory  of  Washington  by 
steamer.  It  was  originally  125  feet  long,  but  the  lower  part  rot- 
ted and  was  cut  off.  Dr.  Stockton  says  he  paid  Ed.  Westcott 
$20  for  plowing  and  leveling  the  block  twice  in  1869 — the  first 
time  it  was  ever  plowed.  The  little  plot  is  handsomely  improved 
with  rubber  and  other  attractive  trees,  is  well  maintained,  and 


^^^^^Sw^rtb;  '^" 


TORREY  PINES 


forms  a  beauty  spot  in  a  district  that  needs  such  a  feature. 

Golden  Hill  Park,  at  Twenty-fifth  and  A  Streets,  is  a  section 
of  the  City  Park.  There  is  also  a  park  on  H  Street  between 
Ninth  and  Tenth,  another  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Thirteenth 
and  K,  and  a  very  attractive  one  known  as  Mission  Cliff  Park, 
on  Adams  Street  between  Alabama  and  Texas,  overlooking  Mis- 
sion Valley,  which  is  one  of  the  chief  scenic  attractions  of  the 
city.  The  New  Town  Plaza  is  a  half  block  bounded  by  Third, 
Fourth,  D,  and  "Witherby  Streets.  It  is  historically  interesting, 
as  it  stood  immediately  in  front  of  the  Horton  House  and  was 
kept  by  "Father"  Horton  as  a  breathing  space  for  his  guests. 
In  later  years  he  conveyed  it  to  the  city  and  it  has  been  officially 


THE  TORREY  PINES  623 

named  ' '  Horton  Plaza. ' '  These  parks  are  cared  for  by  a  super- 
intendent under  the  control  of  the  board  of  public  works.  The 
present  incumbent  is  Samuel  E.  Webb. 

In  the  year  1900,  the  city  council  added  one  more  to  the  res- 
ervations of  land  for  park  purposes,  by  setting  apart  369  acres 
at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  city's  lands,  on  the  bluffs  near 
the  ocean,  four  miles  south  of  Del  Mar  and  one  and  one-half 
miles  north  of  Sorrento.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of  safe- 
guarding a  grove  of  one  of  the  rarest  of  trees— the  Pinus  Torre- 
yana,  or  Torrey  pine.  There  are  but  two  places  in  the  world 
where  this  tree  is  found,  one  of  which  is  in  this  park  and  the 
other  on  Santa  Rosa  Island.  The  trees  were  discovered  in  1850 
by  Dr.  J.  L.  Le  Conte,  who  was  then  staying  in  San  Diego. 
Upon  consulting  with  the  naturalist,  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry,  they  both 
became  much  interested  in  the  tree,  and  dedicated  it  to  their  hon- 
ored instructor.  Dr.  John  Torrey,  of  New  York,  by  giving  it  the 
name  of  Pimis  Torreyana.  Since  then,  the  grove  has  been  visited 
by  many  eminent  travelers  and  scientists,  some  of  them  having 
journeyed  thousands  of  miles  to  see  it.  Among  these  are  Bayard 
Taylor,  Asa  Gray,  Engelmann,  Sargent,  Nelease,  and  others. 

The  tree  is  found  on  the  high  wind-swept  bluffs  and  in  the 
sheltered  ravines  between.  Its  growth  is  often  in  fantastic 
forms,  sometimes  with  a  trunk  three  or  four  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, yet  rising  to  a  height  of  scarcely  ten  feet.  In  sheltered 
spots  it  reaches  a  height  of  fifty  feet  or  more.  It  seems  to  delight 
to  wrestle  with  the  winds  in  exposed  positions,  and  exhibits  a 
tenacity  of  life  and  an  ability  to  reproduce  its  species  seldom 
.equalled.  The  trees  bear  cones  four  or  five  inches  long,  ovate, 
with  thick  scales  terminating  in  strong  prickles.  The  nuts  are 
about  an  inch  long,  flattened,  and  with  a  black  wing.  The  shells 
are  thick  and  hard  and  the  seeds  edible.  The  pollen-bearing 
(male)  flowers  are  terete,  from  two  and  one-half  to  three  inches 
long,  and  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  The  leaves  grow 
in  fascicles  of  five  and  are  the  largest  pine  leaves  known,  being 
from  six  to  eight  inches  long. 

The  view  from  these  bluff's  is  superb.  The  water-worn  and 
wind-beaten  sides  of  the  canyons  show  the  rocky  formations  in 
many  colors.  On  the  west  is  the  ocean,  and  landward  the  top 
of  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains  is  visible.  There  is  a  carpet 
of  pine  needles,  and  in  the  season  wild  flowers  make  a  riot  of 
color.  The  reservation  includes  the  Point  of  Pines,  the  natural 
salt  lagoons  of  the  Soledad,  and  other  attractive  features.  Here 
in  days  to  come  the  dwellers  of  the  citv  will  resort  for  rest  and 
recreation  and  bless  the  care  and  foresight  of  the  city  fathers 
no  less  than  the  natural  upheavals  which  left  this  driftwood  of 
prehistoric  ages  upon  our  shores. 


T 


CHAPTER  VII 
THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 

HE  very  efficiency  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
as   an    oro-anized   agency    for   promoting   the 
development  of  San  Diego  makes  it  unneces- 
sary to  write  its  history  with  any  degree  of 
fullness.     This  is  so  because  the  great  affairs 
with   which   it  has  been   identified  belong  to 
the    history    of    the    city    as    a    whole,    and 
have  therefore  been  dwelt  upon  elsewhere  in 
these  pages. 
During  its  existence  of  thirty-six  years,  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce has  had  an  active  and  influential  hand  in  all  public  efforts 
to  increase  transportation  facilities  by  land  and  sea  ;  in  the  pro- 
motion   of    all    state    and    national    legislation    related    to    the 
material  development  of  the  Southwest ;  in  all  that  has  been 
attempted  or  accomplished  in  connection  with  harbor  improve- 
ment  and   local    coast   defenses ;   and   even   in  matters   of  such 
world-wide  significance  as  the  opening  of  Oriental  trade  and  the 
construction  of  the  Isthmian  Canal. 

A  mere  statement  of  its  activities  in  connection  with  these 
large  affairs  conveys  no  adequate  impression  of  the  institutional 
value  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  It  fills  an  important  gap 
between  the  machinery  of  the  municipality  and  the  ranks  of  pri- 
vate citizenship.  Its  functions  are  such  as  could  not  be  per- 
formed by  city  officials,  on  oik^  hand,  nor  by  unauthorized  indi- 
viduals, on  the  other.  It  is  an  organized  body  of  the  highest 
representative  character,  and  as  such  speaks  for  the  community 
upon  a  wide  range  of  matters  not  within  the  ]iurview  of  city  or 
county  governments.  It  is  the  forum  in  which  all  propositions 
for  civic  improvement,  especially  those  of  a  commercial  kind, 
are  first  discussed.  It  is  the  reception  room  which  is  always 
open  to  greet  the  city's  guests,  to  the  humblest  stranger.  Its 
rooms  supply  a  permanent  exhibit  of  the  utmost  variety  of  local 
products,  showing  the  country  at  its  best.  Possibly  more  impor- 
tant than  anything  else,  the  Chamber  is  a  great  bureau  of  pub- 
licity which  keeps  the  world  constantly  informed  of  the  needs 
and  progress  of  San  Diego.  Its  Avork  under  this  head  has 
become  immensely  effective  in  recent  years  uufler  the  manage- 
ment of  Secretary  H.  P.  Wood,  and  of  his  successor,  Secretary 
James  A.  Jasper. 


EDWIN    M.  CAPPS 

Mayor  ot  San  Diego  1899-'00. 


JOHN   B.  STARKEY 
A  leading  druggist. 


C.  W.  BUKER 

Dealer  in  electrical  supplies  and  promi- 
nent in  fraternal  circles. 


JOHN  G.  BURGESS 


FRANK   MERTZ 


Lessees  F.  T.  Scripps  Block  and  leading  promoters  of  real  estate  investments. 


C.   W.  ROBINSON 

Propi-ietor  Hotel  Robinson,  formerly  con- 
nected with  Hotel  del  Colorado. 


J.  T.  WELDON 
A  Pioneer  Mill  Man  of  San  Diego 


BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  CHAMBER  625 

Like  most  organizations  of  the  kind,  the  Chaniljer  of  Com- 
merce has  had  a  somewhat  uneven  existence.  It  has  seen  days 
of  growth,  and  days  of  decline.  But  latterly  it  has  become  "so 
servicea])le  to  the  community,  so  strong  in  public  confidence  that 
membership  is  regarded  as  a  duty  of  citizenship,  while  a  call  to 
office  in  the  organization  is  considered  a  substantial  honor. 

The  history  of  the  Chamber  dates  back  to  the  beginning  of 
1870,  when  David  Felsenheld  called  a  preliminary  meeting  at 
his  store  on  the  corner  of  F  and  Sixth  Streets,  -where  the  Express 
building  now  stands.  Formal  organization  was  effected  on  Jan- 
uary 22d,  Aaron  Paulv  being  elected  president;  G.  W.  B. 
McDonald,  vice-president;  Joseph  Nash,  secretary;  and  A.  E. 
Horton,  treasurer.  The  constitution  and  by-laAvs  were  drawn  up 
by  a  committee  composed  of  G.  W.  B.  ^IcDonald,  E.  W.  IMorse, 
D.  Choate,  David  Felsenheld,  and  Joseph  Nash.  The  purpose 
of  the  organization  was  stated  as  follows  in  the  preainble  to  the 
constitution  : 

To  take  some  practical  steps  to  uuite  the  business  men 
of  the  city  for  the  better  promotion  of  the  public  interest;  to 
aid  in  the  development  of  our  back-country,  and  make  known 
its  resources;  to  give  reliable  information  of  the  commercial 
advantages  of  our  harbor,  and  of  our  natural  position  as  an 
overland  railroad  terminus  on  the  Pacific   Coast. 

The  first  important  business  transacted  by  the  Chamber  was 
the  passage  of  a  resolution  instructing  the  secretary  to  commu- 
nicate with  W.  B.  Webb  of  New  York  in  regard  to  the  need  of 
a  competing  steamship  line  between  San  Diego  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. As  an  inducement.  ]Mr.  Tlorton  offered  the  free  use  of 
his  new  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Fifth  Street.  AYhile  the  offer  was 
not  accepted  by  them,  the  desired  competition  was  obtained 
before  the  close  of  the  year,  the  steamer  William  Taher  being 
put  in  service  between  the  two  ports.  Competition  did  not  last, 
however,  as  the  new  line  was  soon  absorbed  b^-  the  Pacific  Coast 
Steamship  Company. 

On  May  5,  1870,  the  first  advertising  matter  wns  issued  by  the 
Chamber.  It  took  the  form  of  a  pamphlet  ])repared  by  D. 
Choate  and  E.  W.  Morse,  and  entitled  Climait .  1\(  soil  ires,  and 
Fiit'ure  Prospects  of  San  Diego.  The  first  memorial  drafted  was 
addressed  to  the  state  legislature.  It  urged  the  passage  of  a  bill 
authorizing  boards  of  supervisors  to  levy  special  taxes  for  the 
constmction  of  roads  and  highways. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  successful  enterprises  with  wliieh 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  became  identified  wns  the  building 
of  a  turnpike  to  Yuma  to  accommodate  the  overland  freight 
shipped  from  Arizona  to  tide-water.  There  ^vas  alrendy  n  high- 
wav  in  use  between  San  Pedro  and  Fort  Yiimn.  but  the  hnul  was 


626  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

120  miles  longer.  A  turnpike  company  was  formed  for  the  pur 
pose  of  forwarding  the  work.  Aaron  Pauly  was  elected  presi- 
dent ;  H.  H.  Dougherty,  secretary ;  0.  P.  Galloway,  superintend- 
ent of  construction :  and  C.  J.  Fox,  civil  engineer.  Subscription 
lists  were  opened  and  $10,000  pledged  in  a  short  time,  the  citi- 
zens appearing  to  realize  from  the  start  the  vast  importance  of 
the  project. 

Among  the  prominent  names  on  this  list  were  the  following : 
John  G.  Capron,  $1,000;  T.  J.  Higgins,  $100;  E.  W.  Nottage, 
$100 ;  Charles  Gassen,  $150 ;  E.  W.  Morse,  $100 ;  George  W.  Haz- 
zard,  $100 ;  J.  M.  Pierce,  $100 ;  Steiner  and  Klauber,  $250 ;  J.  S. 
Mannasse,  $200;  A.  Pauly.  $100.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  sum  of  $6,000  was  raised  in  San  Francisco  for  this  purpose. 

The  records  of  the  Chamber  reflect  something  of  the  excite- 
ment occasioned  by  the  controversy  over  the  tide-lands,  and  tell 
of  a  stormy  meeting  held  January  21,  1871,  when  Editor  Tru- 
man of  the  Bulletin  appeared  to  press  the  charge  made  in  his 
newspaper,  to  the  effect  that  two  of  the  city  trustees  had 
"packed"  the  Chamber  in  order  to  obtain  its  endorsement  of  a 
big  land  steal.  Truman  seems  to  have  held  his  own,  as  resolu- 
tions were  passed  declaring  that  more  care  should  be  taken  in 
admitting  members. 

The  Chamlter  was  very  active  in  connection  with  the  move- 
ment for  turning  the  San  Diego  River  into  False  Bay,  and  its 
influence  Avas  strongly  and  persistently  used  in  behalf  of  the 
Texas  &  Pacific  during  the  whole  period  in  which  the  town  had 
hopes  of  Scott's  ill-fated  enterprise. 

Next  to  its  work  in  l)ehalf  of  railroad  promotion,  the  constant 
activity  of  the  Chamber  in  urging  harbor  improvement  was 
probably  its  most  important  service.  Despite  the  fact  that  the 
Bay  of  San  Diego  was  at  that  time  the  only  port  on  the  coast 
of  California  outside  of  San  Francisco,  considerable  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  maintaining  its  position.  After  gaining  rec- 
ognition as  a  port  of  entry  in  1872.  we  find  in  the  minutes  of 
March  4,  1880,  notice  of  the  appointment  by  President  George 
W.  Hazzard  of  a  committee,  consisting  of  Douglas  Gunn,  A. 
Klauber,  and  J.  S.  Gordon,  to  memorialize  Congress  relative  to 
pennitting  San  Diego  to  remain  a'  port  of  entry.  This  effort 
was  successful. 

After  a  long  agitation  of  the  subject  of  more  frequent  mail 
service  between  San  Diego  and  northern  points,  there  occurs  in 
the  record  of  a  meeting,  November  24,  1876,  a  resolution  of 
thanks  to  Senator  A.  A.  Sargent  for  having  secured  for  San 
Diego  a  daily  mail  service. 

The  matter  of  proper  fortifications  for  the  harbor  was  taken 
up  at  an  early  date  h\  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  never 


HARBOR  FORTIFICATIONS 


627 


permitted  to  di-op  until  adequate  military  protection  had  been 
provided.  The  defenseless  condition  of  the  harbor  was  empha- 
sized with  no  uncertain  force  and  endless  repetition,  communi- 
cations and  many  memorials  urging  the  necessary  appropria- 
tions being  sent  to  Congress.  October  4,  1883,  General  Scofield 
wrote  from  AVashington  that  a  two-company  post  had  been 
decided  upon  foi-  San  Diego,  and  this  has  since  been  maintained. 


W.    L.    FREVERT,    1902-03  GEORGE   H.    BALLOU,    1900-01 

PRESIDENTS   OF  THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


In  the  same  year  a  curious'  proposition  was  made  to  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  regarding  the  waters  of  that  portion  of  the 
bay  region  known  as  False  Bay.  G.  S.  Pidgeon  had  invented 
a  tide-poM'er  machine,  capable  of  producing  enormous  horse- 
power from  the  inrush  and  outrush  of  the  12,000,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  water  taken  in  and  emptied  from  False  Bay  every  eight 
hours.  This  power  was  to  be  distributed  throughout  the  city  for 
every  known  purpose.  Messrs.  Gunn.  Alarston.  and  Silliman 
were  appointed  an  investigating  committee.  Their  report  was 
favorable  to  the  enterprise,  whereupon  a  mass  meeting  was  called 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.    Horton  Hall 


628  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

was  crowded  to  the  doors.  Inventor  Pidgeon  explained  his 
device  at  great  length.  He  wanted  $200,000  capital  to  start  the 
enterprise,  and  prophesied  that  its  inception  would  mean  "the 
making  of  San  Diego,"  inasmuch  as  his  plant  would  supply 
power  for  factories  of  all  kinds  at  a  ridiculously  low  figure.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  appears  to  have  been  quite  favorably 
impressed  with  the  scheme,  but  whether  expert  mechanics  and 
engineers  reported  the  device  faulty  or  whether  the  inventor 
himself  gave  up  the  enterprise  is  not  recorded  in  the  minutes  of 
the  Chamber.  At  any  rate  the  Pidgeon  Tide  Power  Company 
never  materialized. 

With  the  growth  of  the  city  and  the  harbor,  the  need  of  better 
fortifications  was  recognized  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Con- 
siderable correspondence  passed  between  the  Chamber  and  the 
War  Department  relative  to  the  allotment  of  land  for  this  ]iur- 
pose.  July  11,  1890,  Senator  W.  M.  Stewart  received  a  commu- 
nication from  Secretary  of  War  Proctor  offering  to  accept  all 
North  Island  as  a  gift  to  the  government  for  fortification  par- 
poses.  This  letter  was  sent  to  the  Chamber  and  the  "offer"  was 
promptly  rejected. 

December  3d  of  that  year  resolutions  were  adopted  instruct- 
ing Congressman  Bowers  to  urge  greater  fortifications  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Ballast  Point  at  the  entrance  to  the  harbor. 
The  Chamber  also  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  San  Diego's 
location  and  strategic  importance  demanded  the  establishment  of 
a  10-company  post.  Congressman  Bowers  found  an  able  ally  in 
the  person  of  Senator  Stanford.  It  was  not  until  1894,  how- 
ever, that  an  appropriation  was  finally  secured  for  San  Diego 
harbor  defenses.  Congress  atoned  for  its  delay  by  setting  aside 
nearly  half  a  million  dollars,  and  the  result  is  the  Fort  Rose- 
erans  of  today. 

Long  continued  efforts  were  made  by  the  Chaml)er,  seconded 
by  the  whole  people,  to  induce  the  great  Japan  steamship  line, 
known  as  the  Nippon  Yusu  Kaisha  Company,  to  make  San  Diego 
its  sole  American  terminus  upon  a  guarantee  of  a  shipment  of 
at  least  4,000  tons  of  freight  per  month  through  this  port.  No 
satisfactory  arrangements  were  made,  however,  and  the  Japan- 
ese steamers  never  ran  for  any  considerable  length  of  time.  The 
Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  also  withdrew  its  steamers, 
although  it  had  a  contract  with  the  government  to  touch  at  San 
Diego  on  every  trip  for  freight,  mail,  and  passengers.  In  the 
latter  case  the  government  seemed  powerless  to  enforce  its  own 
contract.  This  state  of  affairs  elicited  much  unfavorable  com- 
ment from  the  press  throughout  this  countr\'. 

In  1896,  when  the  agitation  in  favor  of  the  creation  of  an  arti- 
ficial harbor  at  San  Pedro  began,  the  Chamber  adopted  an  atti- 


OPPOSITION  TO  SAN  PEDRO 


629 


tude  of  aggressive  opposition.  It  was  believed  that  an  expendi- 
ture of  many  millions  for  such  a  purpose  within  100  miles  of  a 
great  natural  harbor  was  wholly  without  justification,  while 
involving  a  keen  injustice  to  San  Diego.  Many  leading  news- 
papers, including  the  New  York  Times,  supported  the  Chamber 
in  its  contention,  but  the  San  Pedro  movement  prevailed  over 
all  opposition. 


HOMER   H.   PETERS 

A  prominent  Chicago  business  man,  who  became  interested  in  San  Diego  in  1903  and  whose 

enterprise  in  several  directions  contributed  materially  to  the  city's  growth.     He 

served  for  a  time  as  vice  president  of  the  First  National  Bank  and 

was  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 


The  efforts  of  the  Chamber  in  behalf  of  a  great  naval  dry- 
dock,  of  a  coaling-station,  and  of  a  naval  training  school  have 
been  intelligent  and  persistent.  More  than  once,  representatives 
were  sent  to  Washington  in  the  interest  of  these  measures,  while 
the  congressional  delegation  has  been  constantly  urged  to  action. 
Much  preliminary  work  has  been  done,  and  it  seems  to  be  only 
a  question  of  a  little  time  when  final  results  will  be  achieved. 
The  latest  work  undertaken  by  the  Chamber  in  connection  with 


630 


HISTORY   OF  SAN    DIEGO 


the  harbor  is  the  dred^int:'  of  the  l)ar  to  an  average  depth'  of 
3U  feet  for  a  width  of  1,000  feet. 

The  annual  reports  submitted  by  the  presidents  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  embody  very  good  accounts  of  the  city's  com- 
mercial progress,  but  nearly  everything  of  historical  moment  is 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  these  pages.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  the  feverish  prosperity  of  boom  days  l)rought  nothing  but 
depression  to  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.      It  was 


reorganized 


H.    p.    WOOD 

An  enthusiastic  and  effective  worker  for  San 
Diego  who.  while  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  did  much  to  build  up  the  organization. 
Now  Secretary  of  the  Promotion  Committee  of 
Hawaii 


JAMES  A.   JASPER 

Who  has  had  a  prominent  part  in  journ- 
alism, politics,  and  county  administiation, 
and  who,  as  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  rendered  memorable  service 
by  bringing  the  organization  out  of  debt 


after  the  boom  and  gradually  acquired  a  stronger  position  than 
ever  before.  In  1890,  under  the  able  management  of  John  Kas- 
tle,  the  Chamber  was  taken  out  of  debt  and  placed  upon  a  sound 
financial  basis.  In  January,  1905,  A.  E.  Horton.  D.  Choate,  and 
E.  W.  Morse  were  elected  honorary  life  members.  Since  then 
Mr.  Choate  and  Mr.  Morse  have  passed  away. 

After  its  reorganization  in  1889  the  Chaiuber  wa-s  domiciled 
in  a  ground-floor  store-room   in   the  Tremont   ITouse  on   Third 


PHILIP   MORSE 


SIMON   LEVI 


J.    S.    AKERMAN  DR.    EDWARD   GROVE 

PRESIDENTS  OF  THE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE 


632  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Street  between  C  and  L).  In  1891,  it  removed  to  the  Grand 
Hotel,  now  the  "Worth,"  on  F  Street  between  Third  and 
Fourth.  Afterwards  (in  1895)  the  headquarters  were  moved  to 
the  Marshall-IIiggins  bloek,  corner  Fourth  and  C  Streets,  where 
they  remained  until  INIarch  1,  1898.  when  they  removed  to  quar- 
ters on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Grant  building,  corner  of  Sixth 
and  D  Streets.  They  have  recently  been  removed  to  the  second 
floor  of  the  same  building,  where  they  are  now  located,  occupy- 
ing the  rooms  left  vacant  by  the  removal  of  the  Y.  ^I.  C.  A.  to 
its  new  building. 

One  of  the  most  agreeable  and  useful  functions  of  the  Cham- 
ber is  the  entertainment  of  distinguished  visitors,  especially  the 
representatives  of  foreign  navies  who  frequently  come  to  the 
port.  In  this  way,  the  Chamlier  has  doubtless  done  a  great  deal 
to  secure  the  good  will  of  influential  men  and  interests  for  San 
Diego.  Indeed,  if  the  Chamber  stood  for  nothing  except  the 
organized  hospitality  of  the  community — a  hospitality  extended 
alike  to  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  the  world  and  to  the 
humblest  stranger  Avho  finds  his  way  to  San  Diego — it  would 
still  rank  among  the  most  useful  institutions.  But  it  is  much 
more  than  this.  It  has  had  a  part  in  all  good  w^ork  which  has 
been  done  for  the  city  and  county  over  a  period  of  more  than 
a  generation,  and  has  itself  initiated  very  much  of^this  good 
work. 

During  a  large  portion  of  its  history,  the  Chamber  has  been 
exceedingly  fortunate  in  the  kind  of  men  enlisted  in  its  service. 
It  has  been  able  to  command  not  only  the  support,  but  the  earn- 
est devotion,  of  many  of  the  strongest  citizens,  who  have 
regarded  it  as  the  most  important  instrumentality  in  promoting 
local  development.  In  later  years,  the  oflice  of  secretary  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  has  risen  to  great  importance.  The  effi- 
ciency of  the  organization  depends  in  large  measure  upon  the 
energy,  ability,  and  character  of  the  man  who  fills  this  place. 
The  Chamber  has  been  fortunate  in  this  respect  during  the 
period  which  had  made  the  heaviest  demands  upon  its  resources. 
H.  P.  "Wood,  who  served  as  secretary  from  1899  to  1905,  was  a 
true  builder  of  the  organization  and  a  successful  promoter  of  its 
work.  He  was  succeeded  by  James  A.  Jasper,  whose  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  people  and  the  country,  and  long  experi- 
ence as  journalist  and  county  otflcial,  peculiarly  fitted  him  for 
the  place.  He  signalized  his  entrance  to  the  office  by  arranging 
to  pay  off  the  debts  of  the  organization.  He  was  su(iceeded  in 
January,  1907,  by  John  Scott  Mills. 

By  no  means  the  least  important  history  of  the  organization 
is  that  contained  in  the  following  complete  list  of  its  officers : 


LIST  OF  OFFICERS  633 

From  its  organization  in  1870  to  the  year  1907. 
1870 — Jan.  20 — President,  Aaron  Paulyj  Vice-President,  G.  W. 
B.  McDonald;  Secretary,  Joseph  Nash;  Treas- 
urer, A.  E.  Hortou. 
1870 — Mar.  3 — President,  Aaron  Pauly;  Vice-President,  Dr.  D. 
B.  Hoilnian;  Secretary,  Joseph  Nash;  Treas- 
urer, J.  W.  Gale. 

May   5 — Joseph   Nash   resigned   as    Secretary   and   David 
Fclsenheld   was   elected. 

May  30 — J.  W.  Gale  resigned    as    Treasurer    and    Charles 
Dunham  was  elected. 
1871— President,    G.    W.    B.    McDonald;     Vice-President,    J.    S. 

Gordon;  Secretary,  C.  J.  Craig;  Treasurer,  C.  Dunham. 
1872 — President,    G.    W.    B.    McDonald;    Vice-President,    W.    W. 

Stewart;  Secretary,  S.  W.  Craigue;  Treasurer,  C.  Dunham. 
1873 — President,    J.    S.    Gordon;    Vice-President,    J.    M.    Pierce; 

Secretary,  W.  W.  Stewart;  Treasurer,  C.  Dunham. 
1874 — President,  J.  S.  Gordon;   First  Vice-President,  A.  H.  Gil- 
bert;   Second   Vice-President,    S.    W.    Craigue;    Secretary, 

W.    W.   Stewart;    Treasurer,   C.   Dunham. 
1875 — President,   W.   W.    Stewart;    First   A'ice-President,    E.    W. 

Morse;    Second    A^ice-President,    Jos.    Tasker;    Secretary, 

M.  A.  Luce;   Treasurer,   C.  Dunham. 
1876— President,   W.    W.   Stewart;    First   Vice-President,   E.   W. 

Morse;    Second  Vice-President,   W.   A.   Begole;   Secretary, 

W.   E.  Porter;   Treasurer,  C.  Dunham. 
1877 — President,  J.  M.  Pierce,  First  Vice-President,  A.  II.  Gil- 
bert;   Second    Vice-President,    W.    A.    Begole;    Secretary, 

W.  W.  Bowers;   Treasurer,  Jos.  Tasker. 
1878— President,  J.  M.  Pierce;  First  Vice-President,  W.  A.  Be- 
gole;   Second    Vice-President,    A.    H.    Julian;    Secretary, 

George  W.  Marston;   Treasurer,  Jos.  Tasker. 
1879 — President,   Charles   S.  Hamilton;   First  Vice-President,  E. 

W.  Morse;  Second  Vice-President,  W.  L.  Williams;  Secre- 
tary, S.  Levi;   Treasurer,  Jos.  Tasker. 
1880 — President,   George   W.   Hazzard;    First   Vice-President,   A. 

Klauber;  Second  Vice-President,  J.  M.  Pierce;  Secretary, 

S.  Levi;  Treasurer,  J.  S.  Gordon. 
1881 — President,   George   W.   Hazzard;    First   Vice-President,   E. 

W.   Morse;    Second   Vice-President,    George   W.    Marston; 

Secretary,  S.  Levi;  Treasurer,  J.  S.  Gordon. 
1882 — President,  S.  Levi;   First  Vice-President,  J.   IT.   Simpson; 

Second  Vice-President,   G.  G.  Bradt;  Secretary,  D.  Cave; 

Treasurer,  W.  S.  Jewell;  Librarian,  J.  M.  Pierce. 
1883 — President,      Arnold      Wentscher;      First      Vice-President, 

George  W.  Mai-ston;   Second  Vice-Pi-esident,  M.   S.  Eoot; 

Secretary,  C.  H.  Silliman;  Treasurer,  George  W.  Hazzard; 

Mr.   Wentscher  resigned  a  few  weeks  after  his  election, 

and  G.   G.  Bradt  was  elected  president. 
1884 — President,   George    W.   Marston;    First    Vice-President,   J. 

H.    Simpson;     Second    Vice-President,    John    N.    Young; 

Secretary,  C.  H.  Silliman;  Treasurer,  George  W.  Hazzard. 
1885 — President,  D.  Cave;   First  Vice-President.  J.  H.  Simpson; 

Second    Vice-President,    E.    W.    Morse,    Third    Vice-Presi- 


634  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

dent,   Jos.   Winchester;   Secretary,   J.   H.   Simpson,   Pliilip 
Morse;    Treasurer,   George   W.   Hazzard. 

1886 — President,  J.  H.  Simpson;  First  Vice-President,  Pliilip 
Morse;  Second  Vice-President,  D.  C.  Eeed;  Third  Vice- 
President,  J.  S.  Gordon;  Secretary,  L.  S.  McLurc;  Treas- 
urer,   John    N.    Young. 

1887 — President,    G.    G.    Bradt;     First     Vice-President,     Judge 
George  Puterbaugh;   Second  Vice-President,  J.  W.  Burns; 
Secretary,  F.  E.  Wetmore;   Treasurer,  Theo.  Fintzelberg. 
In    1888    a   new    Chamber,    called   the    Chamber   of    Commerce 

of   San   Diego   County  was  formed,   and  for  a  time  there   were 

two.      They   were    consolidated   in    October.      G.    G.    Bradt    was 

President  of  the  old  organization,  and  J.  A.  McEea  of  the  new 

one. 

1888— President,  G.  G.  Bradt,  J.  A.  McEea;  First  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Douglas  Gunn;  Second  Vice-President,  J.  W.  Burns; 
Eecording  Secretary,  F.  E.  Wetmore;  Financial  Secre- 
tary,  Theo.   Fintzelberg;   Treasurer,  .John   Ginty. 

1889 — President,  Douglas  Gunn  (resigned  and  John  C.  Fisher 
succeeded) ;  Vice-President  ;  Sec- 
ond    Vice-President, ;     Secretary, 

J.  C.  Amendt   (later  George  N.  Nolan);   Treasurer, 

1890 — President,  John  Kastle;  Vice-President,  Frank  A.  Kim- 
ball; Second  Vice-President,  F.  H.  Cunningham;  Secre- 
tary, George  N.  Nolan;  Treasurer,  C.  D.  Long. 

1891 — President,  Daniel  Stone;  Vice-President,  Douglas  Gunn; 
Second  Vice-President,  ;  Secre- 
tary,   Benjamin    Lake;    Treasurer,    Theo.    Fintzelberg. 

1892 — President,  Daniel  Stone;  Vice-President,  F.  A.  Kimball; 
Second  Vice-President,  H.  P.  McKoon;  Secretaries,  Con- 
rad  Stautz,   F.   H.   Bearne,   and   E.    H.   Young. 

1893 — President,  H.  P.  McKoon;  Vice-President,  John  Sherman; 
Second  Vice-President,  Charles  S.  Hamilton;  Secretary, 
E.  H.  Young;   Treasurer,  George  W.  Dickinson. 

1894— President,  H.  P.  McKoon  (died  August  19,  1894,  and 
was  succeeded  by  ,Tohn  Sherman) ;  Vice-President,  .John 
Sherman;  Second  Vice-President,  George  W.  Marston; 
Secretary,  E.  H.  Young;  Treasurer,  George  W.  Dickinson. 

1895 — President,  E.  V.  Dodge — acted  one  month  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Philip  Morse;  First  Vice-President,  Philip 
Morse;  Second  Vice-President,  John  N.  Young;  Secre- 
tary, E.  H.  Young;  Treasurer,  George  W\  Dickinson. 

1896— President,  Philip  Morse;  First  Vice-President,  E.  V. 
Dodge;  Second  Vice-President,  U.  S.  Grant,  .Jr.;  Secre- 
tary,  V.    E.    McConoughey;    Treasurer,   ,J.    E.    O'Brien. 

1897 — President,  Philip  Morse;  First  Vice-President,  E.  V. 
Dodge;  Second  Vice-President,  E.  M.  Powers;  Secretary, 
V.  E.  McConoughey;   Treasurer,  J.  E.  O'Brien. 

1898 — President,  E.  A.  Thomas;  First  Vice-President,  E.  \. 
Dodge;  Second  Vice-President,  George  W.  Marston; 
Secretary,  V.  E.  McConoughey;  Treasurer,  J.  E.  O'Brien. 

1899 — President,  George  W.  Marston;  First  Vice-President,  G. 
H.  Ballou;  Second  Vice-President,  W.  L.  Frevert;  Secre- 
taries, E.  V.  Dodge,  H.  P.  Wood;  Treasurer,  J.  E. 
O'Brien. 


LIST  OF  OFFICERS  635 

1900 — President,  George  H.  Ballou;  First  Vice-President,  W.  L. 
Frevert;  Second  Vice-President,  G.  W.  .Torres;  Secre- 
tary, H.  P.   Wood;   Treasurer,  ,J.   E.  O'Brien. 

1901 — President,  George  H.  Ballou;  Vice-President,  W.  L.  Fre- 
vert; Second  Vice-President,  G.  W.  .Torres;  Secretary, 
H.  P.   Wood;   Treasurer,  Nat   E.  Titus. 

1902— President,  W.  L.  Frevert;  First  Vice-President,  W.  S. 
Waterman;  Second  Vice-President,  M.  F.  Heller;  Secre- 
tary, H.  P.  Wood;  Treasurer,  J.  S.  Akerman. 

1903— President,  W.  L.  Frevert;  First  Vice-President,  W.  S. 
Waterman;  Second  Vice-President,  Dr.  Fred  R.  Burnham; 
Secretary,  H.  P.  Wood;   Treasurer,  J.  S.  Akerman. 

1904 — President,  Homer  H.  Peters;  First  Vice-President,  ,T.  S. 
Akerman;  Second  Vice-President,  E.  Strahlmann;  Secre- 
tary,  H.   P.   Wood;    Treasurer,   G.   W.   Fislihurn. 

1905— President,  J.  S.  Akerman;  First  Vice-President,  Dr.  Ed- 
ward Grove;  Second  Vice-President,  Melville  Ivlauber; 
Secretary,  H.  P.  Wood  (succeeded  in  October  by  .Tames 
A.  Jasper) ;   Treasurer,   Eufus  C'hoate. 

1906 — President,  Edward  Grove;  First  Vice-President,  Melville 
Klauber;  Second  A^ice-President,  Barker  Burnell;  Secre- 
tary,  James   A.    .Jasper;    Treasurer,    Rufus   Choate. 

1907 — President,  D.  Gochenauer;  First  Vice-President,  Melville 
Klauber;  Second  Vice-President,  O.  W.  Cotton;  Secre- 
tary,  John   S.   Mills;    Treasurer,   Ford   A.    Carpenter. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
BANKS  AND  BANKING 

HE  tirst  bank  in  the  city  was  the  Bank  of 
San  Diego.  It  was  organized  early  in  June, 
1870,  hy  Bryant  Howard.  E.  AV. 'Morse,  A. 
E.  Hortou,  Joseph  Nash,  James  M.  Pierce, 
INIatheAv  Sherman,  A.  M.  Hathaway,  Colum- 
bus Dunham,  and  AVm.  H.  Cleveland.  The 
first  officers  were :  A.  E.  Horton,  president ; 
James  AI.  Pierce,  vice-president;  Br3'ant 
Howard,  treasurer;  and  Wm.  H.  Cleveland,  attorney.  Thomas 
L.  Nesmith  became  president;  E.  W.  Morse,  treasurer;  and  Bry- 
ant Howard,  cashier  and  manager.  A  year  later  the  brick  bank 
building  shown  in  the  cut  was  completed  and  occupied,  and  the 
newspapers  called  it  "the  handsomest  brick  structure  in  the 
city."  In  1874,  Charles  Hubbell  became  cashier  and  so  contin- 
ued until  1879. 

The  beginning  of  the  "Tom  Scott"  l)oom  soon  brought  about 
the  organization  of  another  bank — the  Commei-cial  Bank  of  San 
Diego.  This  bank  was  organized  in  October,  1872,  by  J.  H. 
Braly,  George  Puterbaugh,  Edward  Kilham,  and  J.  C.  Braly. 
The  capital  stock  was  fixed  at  $200,000.  The  bank  did  not  begin 
business  until  the  first  of  Alarch,  1873,  in  temporary  quarters 
in  the  Vezie  &  Schuler  building.  The  contract  for  the  construc- 
tion of  its  own  building,  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  G  Streets 
fnow  the  city  hall)  Avas  let  to  AVilliam  Jorres  in  October,  1873, 
and  the  building  was  eom])leted  and  occupied  the  following 
spring.  The  heaviest  stockholder  w^as  Hiram  Alabury,  of  San 
Jose.  The  first  officers  were:  Captain  A.  H.  Wilcox,  president; 
E.  P.  S])ence,  cashier;  and  Jose  G.  Esfudillo.  assistant  cashier. 
The  next  development  in  banking  business  in  San  Diego  w^as 
the  consolidation  of  the  Bank  of  San  Diego  and  the  Commercial 
Bank,  under  the  name  of  the  Consolidated  Bank  of  San  Diego, 
Avith  a  capital  of  $200,000.  The  first  officers  Avere:  Bryant 
HoAA'ard,  president;  J.  A.  Fairchild,  cashier;  E.  W.  ATorse,  0.  S. 
Witherby,  George  Geddes,  Levi  Chase,  James  M.  Pierce,  George 
A.  CoAAdes,  and  Bryant  Howard,  directors.  The  iicaa'  bank  occu- 
pied the  old  fjuarters  of  the  Commercial  Bank,  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  C  Streets.  In  January,  1880.  Air.  Fairchild  resigned 
as  cashier  and   Avas  succeeded  bA-  BrA'ant   HoAvard,   and   0.   S. 


SOME  EARLY  BANKS  637 

Withei'by  lieeanio  jn-esideiit  in  TToward's  [)Iac'e.  Later  Howaixl 
became  president  and  J.  IL  Barbour,  cashier.  In  LS83,  the  l)ank 
was  changed  from  a  state  to  a  national  bank.  The  Consolidated 
National  Bank  was  a  power  in  San  Diego  for  several  years.  It 
survived  the  bursting  of  the  boom,  but  went  down  in  the  failure 
of  1893,  and  was  never  reopened.  Among  those  hardest  hit  by 
this  failure  w^as  Judge  O.  S.  Witherby,  whose  fortune  was  prac- 
tically all  invested  in  it. 

The  Savings  Bank  of  San  Diego  CV)unty  opened  for  business 
in  ^lay,  1886,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Its  officers  were  James 
M.  Pierce,  president;  George  A.  Cowles,  vice-president;  John 
Ginty,  secretary  and  treasurer;  later,  E.  W.  ]\Iorse  became 
president.  This  institution  was  a  branch  of  the  Consolidated 
National  Bank  and  had  its  quarters  in  the  same  building.  It 
was  swept  away  with  the  failure  of  the  parent  l)ank,  in  1893, 
and  never  resumed  business.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Pacific 
Coast  Loan  and  Trust  Company,  Avhieh  Avas  an  offshoot  of  the 
Consolidated  Bank,  and  had  its  f|uarters  in  the  same  building 
and  was  managed  by  the  same  officers. 

The  next  bank  organized,  in  point  of  time,  was  the  Bank  of 
Southern  California,  which  was  reorganized  in  October  of  the 
same  vear  as  the  First  National  Bank.  It  Avas  founded  in  Julv, 
1883,  "by  Jacob  Gruendike,  R.  A.  Thomas,  J.  R.  Thomas,  Jolin 
Wolfskin,  and  M.  T.  Gilmore.  The  officers  for  the  first  year 
Avere :  Jacob  Gruendike,  president ;  R.  A.  Thomas,  vice-pres- 
ident; and  C.  E.  Thomas,  cashier.  ]\Ir.  Gruendike  serA'ed  con- 
tinuously as  president  until  his  death  in  1905,  Avith  the  excep- 
tion of  a  year  or  Iavo  in  the  late  80 's. 

LTpon  his  death,  D.  P.  Garrettson  was  elected  president  and 
he  still  fills  the  office.  The  original  capitalization  Avas  $50,000. 
In  October,  1885,  this  Avas  increased  to  $100,000.  and  E.  S.  Bab- 
cock  Jr.  and  W.  L.  Story  Avere  added  to  the  board  of  directors. 
The  present  capital  is  $150,000,  fully  paid.  The  bank  has  OAvned 
and  occupied  its  building  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and 
E  Streets  since  its  organization.  The  present  officers  are:  D. 
F.  Garrettson,  president ;  Homer  II.  Peters,  vice-president :  F. 
W.  Jackson,  second  viee-president ;  G.  W.  Fislil)ni-n,  cashier; 
J.  E.  Fishliurn  and  Simon  Levi,  directors.  Besides  its  capital, 
the  bank  has  $119,761.08  surplus  and  profits,  and  $1,-143,210.72 
deposits. 

The  First  National  Bank  absorbed,  about  tl"^  yeai-  1888,  a  sec- 
ond "Bank  of  San  Diego,"  Avhich  had  been  organized  Septem- 
ber 1,  1887,  and  opened  its  doors  :\Iatvli  S.  1888.  The  officers 
of  the  latter  bank  Avere:  J.  H.  Braly,  president:  -I.  C.  Braly. 
vice-president:  George  M.  Dannals,  cashier;  General  T.  T.  Crit- 
tenden, H.  C.  Watts^  L.  S.  McLure,  John  C.  Fisher,  and  W.  D. 


638 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Woohviiie,  directors.  It  continued  in  business  hut  a  short  time. 
The  San  Diego  Savings  Bank  is  the  oldest  savings  bank  now 
doing  business  in  San  Diego.  It  was  organized  in  April,  1889. 
The  bank's  quarters  are  in  the  Keating  Block,  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Fifth  and  F  Streets.  It  has  a  paid-up  capital  of 
$100,000,  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  ovei-  $30,000,  and 
resources  exceeding  $1,-100,000.  A  well  equipped  safe  deposit  is 
maintained.  The  present  officers  are:  J.  W.  Sefton.  president; 
M.    T.    Gilmore.   vice-president;   E.   M.   Barber,   cashier;   R.   M. 


BANK   OF   SAN   DIEGO 
This  was  the  first  bank  in  the  city,  being-  organized  June,  1870 


Powers,    Henry    Timken,    W.    R.    Rogers,    and    M.    F.    Heller, 
directors. 

The  Bank  of  Commerce  was  incorporated  under  state  laws  in 
1887,  and  was  one  of  the  products  of  the  rapid  growth  of  that 
time.  There  were  a  number  of  changes  in  management,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  bank  failures  in  1893,  the  bank  closed  its  doors, 
but  for  four  days  only.  Dr.  R.  ^I.  Powers  then  became  the  pres- 
ident and  manager  and  served  until  1903.  In  July  of  the  latter 
year,  Julius  Wangenheim  entered  the  bank  and  became  its  pres- 
ident, and  at  the  same  time  it  Avas  reincorporated  under  national 
l)anking  laws.  Since  that  time,  its  growth  has  been  constant. 
The  old  capital  stock  of  .$100,000  was  increased  to  $150,000.  the 
deposits  have  grown   from  $600,000  to  almost   $1,000,000,   and 


COLLINS  AND  DARE 


639 


there  is  a  surpius  and  uiidivided  profits  of  over  $6U,000.  A 
general  banlciug  business  is  done,  special  attention  being  given 
to  the  commercial  accounts  of  the  city.  The  present  officers  are : 
Julius  Wangenheim,  ])rosident ;  B.  W.  ^McKenzie,  C.  Fred  Ilen- 
king,  cashier;  J.  C.  Kice,  assistant  cashier;  I.  W.  Hellman,  B. 
W.  McKenzie,  C.  Fred  Henking,  Julius  Wangenheim,  and  Vic- 
tor E.  Shaw,  directors. 

The  Security  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Company  is  an  out- 
growth of  the  National  Bank  of  Commerce,  the  stockholders 
being  chiefly  the  same.  This  bank  was  organized  ]\Iay  26,  1905, 
Avith  a  paid-up  capital  stock  of  $125,000,  the  largest  of  any  sim- 
ilar institution  in  Southern  California  outside  Los  Angeles.     It 


COMMERCIAL   BANK   OF   SAN   DIEGO;   ORGANIZED   OCTOBER,    1872 


has  recently  moved  into  its  handsomely  equipped  rooms  on  E 
Street  near  Fifth.  Its  officers  are :  Julius  Wangenheim,  presi- 
dent ;  George  W.  Marston,  vice-president ;  Nat  R.  Titus,  cashier 
and  secretary;  and  John  S.  Hawley,  Jr.,  assistant  cashier  and 
secretary.     The  deposits  are  $400,000  and  the  profits.  $5,000. 

The  founding  and  career  of  the  California  National  Bank  are 
episodes  still  feelingly  remembered  by  San  Diegans.  It  opened 
its  doors  on  January  8.  1888.  with  the  following  officers:  Wil- 
liam Collier,  president;  D.  D.  Dare,  vice-president;  J.  W.  Col- 
lins, cashier;  D.  C.  Collier,  J.  W.  Burns,  M.  Kew,  Douglas  Gunn, 
and  T.  R.  Gay,  directors.  The  organizers  and  managers  of  the 
concern  were  Collins  and  Dare,  who  were  newcomers  in  San 
Diego.  It  is  said  that  Collins  had  once  wrecked  a  bank  in  Chey- 
enne, and  that  Dare  brought  with  him  less  than  $7,000,  and  had 


640 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


had  uo  banking  experience.  These  matters  were  unknown  to  the 
people  of  San  Diego,  however,  and  when  attractive  quarters  were 
fitted  up  in  the  Methodist  Church  block,  the  managers  soon 
gained  the  confidence  of  the  public.  The  bank  was  opened  in 
the  midst  of  the  crash  following  the  boom,  was  liberal  with  loans, 
and  was  an  important  factor  in  the  restoration  of  confidence 
w'hich  began  to  be  felt  in  the  fall  of  1888.  The  following  year 
the  California  Savings  Bank  was  incorporated,  and  opened  next 


JrJP* 

■■■ ;' 

■:  "^Jm  *•' 

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^^^^^^I^MP>^B^^^HLt 

m 

GEORGE   W.   FISHBURN 

Who  has  been  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  since  January  15,   11(01,  the  period  of  its 

greatest  growth 


door  to  the  California  National.  Matters  apparently  went  well 
until  the  fall  of  1891,  by  which  time  there  was  a  general  feeling 
of  hopefulness  about  the  situation,  in  which  the  condition  of 
the  banks  was  a  large  factor.  But  in  Octol^er,  the  California 
National  Bank  failed  suddenly  and  disastrously,  and  it  was 
some  time  before  the  extent  of  the  disaster  was  realized.  Prom- 
ises of  resumption  helped  to  keep  up  hope :  Imt  the  investigation 
by  bank  commissioners  quickly  revealed  a  condition  of  rotten- 
ness Avhich  astonished  the  pulilic. 


FAILURE  OF  THE  CALIFORNIA  NATIONAL     641 

Collins  and  Dare  had  applied  ''Ijoom"  melliods  to  their  busi- 
ness, had  made  ''wildcat"  loans,  and  indulged  in  speculation  of 
every  kind.  Dare  was  absent  in  Europe  at  the  time  of  the  fail- 
ure, and  never  returned.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  sympathy 
for  Collins  at  first,  until  the  gross  mismaiuigement  of  the  bank 
had  been  fully  exposed.  His  wife  and  daughter  had  been 
drowned  in  the  Bay  by  the  capsizing  of  a  boat  on  September  1, 


■ 

^^^^^B'^ii  '^*- 

H 

^K     i 

H 

^^^^^^^m              '^^ '      i 

^ 

1   m 

1' 

l^M:      ...         1 

wL. 

J.    W.    SEFTON 

Located,  1889;  president  of  San  Dieg-o  Saving's   Bank   and   president  of  San   Diego   Flume 
Company,  1890:  succeeded  E.  S.  Babcock  as  president  of  San  Diego  Water  Company 
in  1894,  and,  in  1895,  brought  about  the  consolidation  of  the  two  water  com- 
panies.    Began  erection  of  Sefton  Block  in  1899,  completing  it  in  1901 


189U.  Mrs.  Collins  was  the  daughter  of  Rev.  R.  G.  Wallace,  the 
minister  of  the  United  Presbyterian  C!hurcli.  But  the  develop- 
ments grew  worse  rapidlj^;  b}^  February.  18!)2,  it  was  known  that 
the  bank  could  not  resume,  and  on  February  23d  Collins  was 
arrested  and  brought  before  the  bank  coniniissioners.  On  March 
3d,  he  committed  suicide  in  the  BrewstcM-  Hotel.  l)y  shooting  him- 
self. The  embezzlement  was  estimated  at  .$800,000.  The  depos- 
its were  over  a  million  dollars,  and  only  a  small  di\'idend  was 
realized  at  the  close  of  a  long  receivership.    The  California  Sav- 


642  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

iugs  Bank,  of  course,  went  down  with  its  parent  organization. 

None  of  the  other  San  Diego  banks  failed  at  that  time,  but 
in  the  summer  of  1893  the  financial  stringency  which  prevailed 
all  over  the  country  obliged  several  of  them  to  close  their  doors. 
On  June  20th  and  21st  in  that  year,  six  Los  Angeles  banks  failed. 
The  air  was  full  of  rumors,  and  soon  a  run  began  on  the  San 
Diego  banks.  They  stood  it  well  and  paid  out  money  as  long 
as  coin  eon  Id  be  had  for  the  purpose.  They  Avere  solvent,  but 
like  other  solvent  banks,  when  cut  off  from  outside  support,  were 
unable  to  convert  their  assets  into  cash  on  short  notice.  The 
Consolidated  Bank  closed  on  June  21st  and  never  resumed  busi- 
ness, although  its  depositors  were  ultimately  paid  in  full.  The 
First  National  Bank  and  the  Bank  of  Commerce  also  closed  the 
following  day,  but  soon  resumed  business.  The  Merchants' 
National  Bank  and  the  San  Diego  Savings  Bank  were  the  only 
ones  which  survived  the  panic  unscathed.  The  first  named  was 
a  new  institution,  with  its  capital  practically  intact  and  unin- 
vested. This  w^as  San  Diego's  first  and  only  panic  of  the  kind. 
From  that  time  on,  the  story  of  the  city's  financial  institutions 
is  one  of  conservative  management  and  steady,  healthful  growth. 

The  Merchants'  National  Bank  of  San  Diego,  which  has  been 
mentioned  as  surviving  the  panic  soon  after  its  formation,  was 
organized  in  the  spring  of  1893,  with  a  paid-up  capital  stock  of 
$100,000.  The  first  board  of  directors  were :  M.  A.  Weir,  Ralph 
Granger,  E.  J.  Swayne,  Dr.  E.  V.  Van  Norman,  Moses  Kimball, 
and  Philip  Morse ;  and  the  officers  :  M.  A.  Weir,  president ;  Ralph 
Granger,  vice-president;  and  Frank  E.  Hilton,  cashier.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1893,  control  of  the  bank  was  purchased  by  Edward  Ivin- 
son  and  the  bank  reorganized.  Edward  Ivinson,  Levi  Chase,  and 
G.  B.  Grow  entered  the  board  of  directors ;  Ivinson  became  pres- 
ident; Chase,  vice-president;  Ralph  Granger,  second  vice-presi- 
dent; and  G.  B.  Grow,  cashier.  An  aggressive  policy  was 
adopted  and  the  bank  soon  began  to  do  a  large  business.  Mr. 
Grow  died  February  7,  1903,  and  W.  R.  Rogers,  who  had  been 
assistant  cashier  of  the  bank  for  several  years,  was  chosen  cashier. 
In  January,  1904,  Ralph  Granger,  Dr.  F.  R.  Burnham,  A.  H. 
Frost,  W.  R.  Rogers,  and  others  bought  the  controlling  interest 
in  the  bank  from  Ivinson,  Granger  became  president  and  Burn- 
ham  vice-president,  and  these  officials,  with  Mr.  Rogers  as  cash- 
ier and  H.  E.  Anthony  as  assistant  cashier,  continue  to  manage 
the  bank.  The  bank  has  an  excellent  location,  in  the  Granger 
building,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  D  Streets.  Its 
deposits  are  almost  $1,200,000,  and  the  surplus  and  undivided 
profits  amount  to  nearly  $100,000.  There  is  a  safe  deposit 
department  and  every  modern  banking  facility. 


THE  BLOCHMAN  FAMILY 


643 


The  Blochnmn  Banking  Company  was  organized  November 
27,  1893,  by  A.  Bloehman  and  his  son,  L.  A.  Blochman,  and  they 
are  still  its  manager  and  cashi^or,  respectively.  A.  Bloehman 
first  landed  in  San  Diego  in  1851,  on  his  way  to  San  Francisco. 
In  that  city  he  was  vice-president  and  manager  of  the  Fi-ench 
Savings  Bank.  He  is  the  French  consul  for  San  Diego.  L.  A. 
Blochman  was  connected  with  the  Conunci'cial  Bank  of  San  Luis 
Obispo  ])efoi'e  coming  to  San  Diego. 


GALUSHA  B.   GROW 

Prominent  in  business,  political,  and  social  life  and   cashier  of   Merchants  National   Bank 

until  his  death,  February  7,  1903 


This  institution  transacts  banking  in  all  its  branches,  and  is 
the  only  bank  in  Southern  California  which  draws  direct  on  tlie 
City  of  Mexico,  Guadalajara,  Guaymas,  Mazatlan,  Ensenada, 
and  other  Lower  California  points.  A  number  of  Los  Angeles 
banks  transact  their  Mexican  business  through  the  Blochman 
Banking  Company.  They  also  handle  gold  and  silver  bullion 
from  San  Diego  County  and  Lower*  California,  and  deal  in 
domestic  and  foreign  securities.  The  company  owns  a  substan- 
tial building  at  No.  (i85  Fifth  Street.  Avhich  they  first  occupied 
in  "October,  1905. 


M.    T.    GILMORE 
Vice  president  San  Diego  Savings  Banlv 


FRED   JEWELL 
President  Citizens  Savings  Bank 


A.    BLOCHMAN 
President  Blochman  Banking  Co. 


L.    A.    BLOCHMAN 
Cashier  Blochman  Banking  Co. 


REPRESENTATIVE   BANKERS 


JULIUS   WANGENHEIM 
President  Commerce  Trust  Company 


W.    R.    ROGERS 
Cashier  Merchants  National  Bank 


CHARLES   L.    WILLIAMS 

Cashier  American  National  Bank 


G.    AUBREY   DAVIDSON 
President  Southern  Trust  &  Savings  Bank 


REPRESENTATIVE  BANKERS 


646 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


The  Citizens'  Savings  Bank  of  San  Diego  was  organized  by 
Dr.  C.  M.  Briggs  and  others,  in  the  spring  of  1904.  Dr.  Briggs 
died  suddenly  before  the  organization  was  completed,  and  his 
stock  was  acquired  by  Louis  J.  Wilde  and  Fred  Jewell,  who 
placed  a  portion  of  it  upon  the  market.  The  bank  was  opened 
August  15,  1904,  with  Louis  J.  Wilde  as  president ;  Fred  Jewell, 
vice-president  and  cashier ;  and  C.  B.  Whittlesey,  assistant  cash- 
ier.    At  the  end  of  the  first  rear.  Mr.  Wilde's  holdings  of  stock 


CARL  ALEX.    JOHNSON 

Vice  president  Sixth  Street  Bank,  and  a 
powerful  factor  in  the  reorganization  of 
the  Si.xth  and  H  Streets   business  district 


W.    H.    HUBBARD 

The  First  Cashier  of  the  American 
National  Bank;  later,  president  of  the 
Peoples  State  Bank,  National  City 


were  purchased  by  Mr.  Jewell,  who  then  became  president.  This 
bank  has  had  a  steadj-  and  healthful  growth  and  ranks  among 
the  most  conservative  savings  banks  of  Southern  California.  On 
the  anniversary  of  its  second  year  it  had  opened  accounts  with 
over  1,700  depositors  and  had  $300,000  in  deposits.  The  direct- 
ors are :  H.  W.  Hellman,  A.  B.  Cass,  U.  S.  Grant  Jr.,  Samuel  Gor- 
don Ingle,  John  II.  Gay,  Joseph  H.  O'Brien,  Edmond  Mayer, 
C.  B.  Whittlesey,  I.  Isaac  Irwin.  J.  F.  Jaeger,  and  Fred  Jewell. 
The  American  National  Bank  was  organized  September  8. 
1904,  with  the  following  officers :     Louis  J.   Wilde,  president ; 


THE  NEWEST  BANKS  647 

Charles  E.  Sumner,  vice-president;  W.  IT.  riiil)bard.  cashier; 
directors,  Louis  J.  Wilde,  Fred  Jewell,  W.  II.  llubl)ard,  U.  S. 
Grant,  Jr.,  Henry  E.  Mills.  It  opened  for  business  in  its  i)resent 
location.  No.  1051  Fifth  Street,  A])ril  G,  1905.  Its  capital  is 
$100,000.  fully  paid;  it  has  a  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of 
nearly  $10,000,  and  deposits  of  $325,000.  More  than  a  hundred 
San  Diego  business  men  are  owners  of  its  stock.  The  present 
officers  are:  L.  J.  Wilde,  president;  Henry  E.  Mills,  vice-pres- 
ident ;  C.  L.  Williams,  cashier ;  L.  J.  Rice,  assistant  cashier. 

The  Sixth  Street  Bank  was  opened  for  business  May  1,  1907, 
with  the  following  officers:  D.  H.  Steele,  president;  Carl  Alex. 
Johnson,  vice-president;  F.  II.  Oliphant,  cashier;  directors,  D. 
H.  Steele,  Carl  Alex.  Johnson,  F.  H.  Oliphant,  J.  A.  Green. 
The  bank's  paid-up  capital  is  $50,000.  Its  place  of  business  is 
No.  510  Sixth  Street. 

The  Southern  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  commenced  business 
June  28,  1907,  with  the  following  officers :  G.  Aubrey  Davidson, 
president;  Philip  Morse,  vice-president;  E.  0.  Hodge,  cashier; 
directors,  Ileber  Ingle,  Ed.  Fletcher,  Godfrey  Holterhoff.  Jr., 
T.  L.  Duque,  John  E.  Boal,  R.  C.  Allen,  Patrick  Martin,  Edward 
Chambei"s,  T.  A.  Riordan,  James  E.  Wadham,  Adolph  Levi, 
Robert  Hale.  The  bank  has  a  subscribed  capital  of  $250,000,  of 
which  $100,000  has  been  paid-in.  It  occupies  magnificent  quarters 
in  the  new  U.  S.  Grant  Hotel  building.  It  also  maintains  a 
branch  establishment  at  La  JoUa,  under  the  management  of  A. 
B.  Perkins. 

The  latest  development  in  banking  cii-cles,  as  these  pages  go 
to  press,  is  the  announced  consolidation  of  the  National  Bank 
of  Commerce  with  the  Security  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, under  the  presidency  of  Julius  Wangenheim.  The  capital 
of  the  re-organized  institution  is  $500,000.  which  makes  it  the 
largest  of  San  Diego  banks. 


CHAPTER  IX 

SECRET,    FRATERNAL,    AND   OTHER   SOCIETIES 

HE  life  of  San  Diego  has  been  peculiarly  rich 
in  the  activities  of  all  the  principal  secret, 

T(r>Ji  fraternal,  and  benevolent  organizations.  To 
///  clo  them  justice  would  require  a  volume.  The 
\5  1  most  that  this  History  can  attempt  is  to  pre- 
sent a  sketch  of  a  few  of  them,  in  their  his- 
torical aspects. 

The  founding  of  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  35, 
F.  &  A.  M.,  is  a  somewhat  celebrated  event  in  jNlasonic  annals 
of  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  was  the  first  Masonic  lodge  established 
in  Southern  California  and  preceded  the  first  lodge  in  Los  Ange- 
les by  a  year. 

Soon  after  J.  Judson  Ames  arrived  and  began  to  publish  the 
Herald,  it  was  found  that  there  were  enough  Masons  in  San 
Diego  to  warrant  asking  for  a  dispensation  for  a  lodge.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  this  discovery  was  made  at  a  picnic  attended 
by  most  of  the  inhabitants  in  a  body,  as  was  the  custom  for 
many  years. 

The  first  mention  of  anything  Masonic  was  in  the  Herald  of 
June  19,  1851,  and  read  as  follows : 

Masonic. — All  Master  Masons,  in  good  standing  with  their 
respective  lodges,  are  requested  to  assemble  at  the  Exchange 
Hotel,  in  the  City  of  San  Diego,  on  Friday  evening,  the  20th 
inst.,  to  make  arrangements  for  celebrating  the  anniversary 
of  our  patron  saint,  John  the  Baptist. 

The  plans  for  this  celebration  seem  to  have  fallen  through, 
for  some  reason.  A  petition  for  a  dispensation  was  drawn  up, 
signed,  sent  to  San  Francisco,  and  was  granted  on  the  1st  day 
of  August.  This  dispensation  ran  to  Brothers  Wm.  C.  Ferrell, 
W.M. ;  John  Judson  Ames,  S.W. ;  John  Cook,  J.W. ;  and  the  fol- 
lowing Master  Masons :  Daniel  Barbee,  Wm.  Heath  Davis,  James 
W.  Robinson,  R.  E.  Raimond,  and  others.  When  the  Semi- 
Annual  Communication  of  the  Grand  Lodge  assembled,  on 
November  4.  1851,  it  was  found  that  no  meeting  had  been  held 
and  no  returns  received  from  "San  Diego  Lodge,  IT.  D."  and 
the  dispensation  had  expired.  But  Brother  Ames,  S.W.,  made 
application  on  the  following  day  to  the  Grand  Lodge  to  have 


FIRST  MASONIC  ORGANIZATION  649 

the  dispensation  extended  six  months,  to  allow  more  time  for 
organization,  -which  was  granted. 

Although  no  meeting  had  been  held,  an  attempt  had  been 
made  to  hold  one,  as  the  following  advertisement.  Inlcoi  from 
the  Ho-nhl  of  October  9th,  shows: 

There  will  be  a  meeting  of  San  Diego  Lodge,  F.  &  A.  ISl., 
at  the  house  of  Col.  A.  Haraszthy  (Old  Town)  on  Friday  evening 
next,  the  10th  inst.,  at  half  past  six  o'clock.  A  full  attend- 
ance  is   urged,   as   business   of   importance   is   to   be   transacted. 

Oct.  9th.  Per  order  of 

"WoRSHH^FUL  Master. 

After  this,  more  vigor  was  jmt  into  the  work,  and  the  first 
meeting  assembled  on  November  20,  1851,  and  was  opened  in 
the  ^Master's  degree.     The  record  of  this  meeting  begins  thus: 

At  a  meeting  of  San  Diego  Lodge  U.  D.  of  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons  held  at  their  lodge  room  in  the  City  of  San 
Diego,  on  the  20th  day  of  November,  A.  D.  18-51  A.'  L.  5851, 
met  upon  the  call  of  the  W.  M. 

The  brethren  present  were: 
William  C.  Ferrell,  W.  M.  A.  Haraszthy,  Secretary. 

John   Judson   Ames,   S.   W.  '  Wm.  H.  Moon,  Tyler. 

Daniel    Barbee,   J.    "W.  Louis  Eose,  Visiting  Brother. 

R.  E.  Eaimond,  Treasurer. 

Petitions  for  the  degrees  of  Masonry  were  received  from 
George  F.  Hooper,  recommended  by  J.  Judson  Ames  and  Wm. 
Heath  Davis,  and  from  Colonel  John  B.  ]Magruder,  of  the  United 
States  Army.  The  first  named  petition  was  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  Brothel's  Haraszthy,  Moon,  and  Ray,  and 
the  latter  was  ordered  on  file. 

At  the  second  meeting,  hold  January  S,  ]8r)2.  the  followine 
were  present : 

Wm.  C.  Ferrcll,  W.  M. 

John  .Judson  Ames,  S.  W. 

Daniel  Barbee.  J.  W. 

R.  E.  Eaimond,  Treasurer. 

James    W.    Eobinson,    Secretary. 

Wm.  H.  Moon,  S.  D.  "       . 

.T.   Ankrine,  J.  D. 
Louis  Eose,  Tyler. 

At  this  meeting  George  F.  Hooper  was  initiated  as  an  entered 
apprentice,  and  Avas  the  first  person  to  be  initiated  in  this  lodge. 
The  second  was  John  C.  Cremonv.  on  March  29t]i ;  and  the  third, 
George  P.  Tebbetts,  on  April  15,  1852. 

On  May  11th  in  this  year,  the  Grand  Master,  B.  M.  Hyam, 
visited  San  Diego  and  examined  the  records.  l)iit  found  the  lodge 
not  vet  readv  for  a  charter.     The  records  state,  under  date  of 


650  HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 

June  7th,  that  "a  eomninnieation  was  received  from  the  Grand 
Master  respecting  his  examination  of  the  records  of  this  lodse, 
pointing  out  the  un-Masonic  and  unconstitutional  portions  of 
the  work  of  this  Lodge,  and  granting  San  Diego  Lodge  U.  D.  a 
dispensation  to  continue  until  ^lay,  1853,  and  requiring  a  copy 
of  our  adopted  By-laws  without  delay."  Apparently,  the  lodge 
had  never  adopted  any  by-laws.  At  the  same  meeting.  Brother 
John  Judson  Ames,  as  a  committee,  reported  that  he  had  pur- 
chased a  seal  for  $25  and  a  Bible  for  $10.  wdiich  was  approved 
and  payment  ordered. 

At  this  time,  says  Mr.  Morse,  the  Lodge  occupied  the  Court 
Hoiise,  a  one-storj'  brick  building  consisting  of  one  room  only, 
without  porch  or  entry,  the  Tyler  with  girded  sword  pacing 
back  and  forth  in  front,  on  the  open  street.  There  was  little 
danger  of  any  "cowans  and  eavesdroppers,"  for  the  Pope 
had  placed  his  ban  upon  us  and  the  mass  of  the  population  felt 
safest  some  distance  away  from  our  place  of  meeting.  It  was 
said  the  priest  forbade  the  women  and  children  from  even  look- 
ing from  the  windows  upon  our  frequent  parades. 

The  brethren  in  these  earlv  davs  were  verv  fond  of  dinners 
and  parades.  The  first  celebration  was  held  on  June  24,  1852, 
when  the  following  entries  are  made : 

During  the  day  the  nativity  of  our  Patron  Saint,  John 
the  Baptist,  was  publicly  celebrated  in  due   and   ancient   form. 

The  procession  was  formed  under  the  direction  of  Bro.  J. 
W.  Eobinson,  Marshall  of  the  day,  appointed  by  Bro.  G.  P.  Teb- 
betts,  when  the  procession  moved  through  the  principal  streets 
of   the   city   to   the   place   appointed  for   that   purpose. 

When  the  Throne  of  Grace  was  addressed  bj^  our  Eev.  Bro. 
Eeynolds,  Chaplain,  in  an  appropriate  prayer,  and  our  Bro.  J. 
J.  Ames  delivered  a  chaste  and  beautiful  oration  suitable  to  the 
occasion,  when  the  procession  returned  to  the  hall  and  repaired 
to  the  residence  of  Bro.  Eobinson  and  partook  of  an  entertain- 
ment and  the  procession  then  returned  to  the  hall  in  good 
order. 

On  July  15th  in  this  year,  Tebbetts  was  made  a  IMaster  ]\Iason. 
On   November   4th   there   is   another   entrv   which   is   worth 
quoting : 

This  daj^  Nov.  -i,  1852,  being  the  centenary  era  of  the  Initia- 
tion of  Our  beloved  Brother  Geo.  Washington  into  the  order  of 
Masonry,  Therefore  it  was  resolved  to  celebrate  the  same  in  a 
suitable  manner.  At  12  o  'clock  A.M.  the  procession  formed 
in  front  of  the  Masonic  Hall  under  the  direction  of  Companion 
W.  H.  Moon  and  proceeded  through  the  principal  streets  and 
around  the  Plaza  to  the  Hall  where  the  Throne  of  Grace  was 
addressed  by  our  worthy  chaplain  Bro.  Eeynolds  in  an  im- 
pressive prayer,  after  which  our  worthy  companion  .James  W. 
Eobinson  delivered  an  able  and  eloquent  oration  to  the  frater- 
nity and  a  crowded  auditory,  which  was  listened  to  with  deep 


DERBY  JOINS  THE  MASONS  651 

interest  by  all.  The  exercises  at  the  Hall  closed  by  prayer 
by  the  Chaplain,  and  the  procession  again  formed  and  marched 
to  the  residence  of  Phil.  Crosthwaite  and  partook  of  a  sum])tu- 
ous  dinner.  Col.  ('.  .T.  Couts  and  lady  were  invited  guests.  The 
brethren  returned  to  their  Hall  and"  the  Lodge  closed  in  Pease 
&   Harmony. 

On  this  day,  Philip  Crosthwaite,  P.  H.  Hoof,  and  Joseph 
Reiner  were  made  Master  Masons. 

Early  in  April,  1853,  "Bro.  George  H.  Derby,  Past  Master 
of  Sonoma  Lodge.  Cal.."  arrived  in  San  Diego  on  hnsiness  con- 
nected with  the  turning  of  the  San  Diego  River,  and  on  the  4th 
of  that  month,  "being  invited  by  Bro.  W.  C.  Ferrell,  W.M.,  pre- 
sided at  this  meeting. ' '  On  the  13th  of  this  month,  it  is  recorded 
that  "George  H.  Derby,  a  Master  ^lason  and  formerly  ^Master 
of  Temple  Lodge  Xo.  14,"  petitioned  for  affiliation.  Ten  days 
later,  "Bro.  Geo.  H.  Derbv  was  elected  a  member  of  this  Lodge 
after  a  favorable  report  l)y  the  Comtc."  At  this  time,  on  account 
of  certain  irregularities,  the  local  lodge  was  in  disfavor  with  the 
Grand  Lodge:  and  Brother  Derby,  who  was  about  to  return  to 
San  Francisco  before  beginning  his  work  on  the  river,  was 
appointed  an  agent  and  proxy  to  represent  the  W.]\T.  and  offi- 
cers and  "to  explain  fully  and  frankly  all  the  proceedings  of 
this  Lodge  to  the  Most  Worshipful  Grand  Lodge  and  to  ask  for 
a  Warrant  of  Charter  for  this  Lodge."  His  intercession  was 
successful,  and  on  the  7th  day  of  May  following  the  charter  was 
granted  and  Derby  was  delegated  by  the  Grand  Lodge  to  install 
the  first  officers  under  the  charter.  This  ceremony  occurred  on 
August  14,  1853,  after  Derby's  return  from  the  north,  and  the 
officers  installed  were  as  follows : 

Philip  Crosthwaite,  S.  W.  John    Havs,    Treasurer. 

Louis  Eose,  J.  W.  P.  H.  Hoof,  S.  T). 

George  H.   Derby,   Secretary.  S.  Goldman,  J.  D. 

Derby  took  an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  lodge  during 
his  stay,  and  was  instrumental  in  putting  it  in  working  order. 
He  acted  as  secretary  and  was  on  several  occasions  acting  W.M. 
Before  leaving  San  Diego,  he  gave  Philip  Crosthwaite.  then 
Master  of  the  local  lodge,  his  Past  ^Master's  jewel,  and  the  latter 
afterward  gave  it  to  the  lodge,  which  carefully  keeps  it  to 
this  day. 

In  1855,  at  the  celebration  of  St.  John's  Day  on  June  25th, 
the  oration  was  by  Brother  J.  W.  Robinson.  On  July  1st.  some 
indigent  Indians  were  furnished  subsistence  and  arrangements 
were  made  to  continue  the  same. 

Concerning  these  charities,  Mr.  Morse  said : 

In  those  early  days  there  were  many  calls  for  charity  from 
brethren    just    arriving   from    the    East   who    had    become    sick 


652 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


and  disabled,  while  some  were  strapped  and  wanted  a  slight 
loan,  which  oeeasionally  was  repaid  but  more  often  not.  Many 
times  help  was  given  to  sick  and  blind  Indians  and  others,  for 
the   Lodge  believed  in  charity  and  practiced  it. 

The  following-  year,  the  Feast  of  St.  John  was  celebrated  on 
June  24th,  as  the  record  shows :  ' '  Proceeded  to  march  in  reg- 
ular order  to  the  Grila  House.  Oration  by  Kurtz,  then  procession 
to  the  dinner  hall  &  partook  of  a  dinner,  return  to  the  hall  & 
closed  in  Pease  &.  harmony."     On  November  3d  of  this  year, 


? 

J 

.  1 

i 

g 

|> 

l» 

^p 

^9 

s. 

^. 

N 

^'1  ' 

, 

THOS.    R.   DARNALL 

One  of  the  eax'ly  leaders  of  the  Masonic  order  in  San  Diego 


E.  W.  Morse  was  initiated,  and  a  month  later  resolutions  of  sym- 
pathy for  the  death  of  his  wife  were  adopted. 

In  1857,  George  Lyons  was  made  a  Master  ]\Iason  on  JNIarch 
30th,  and  E.  W.  Morse  on  April  8th.  In  August,  Joseph  Smith 
preferred  charges  against  Morse  for  "threatening  to  blow  my 
brains  out."  A  committee  recommended  that  Smith  withdraw 
the  charges,  but  he  refused,  and  after  an  investigation  and  lis- 
tening to  Morse's  explanation,  he  was  exonerated.  Morse's  own 
account  of  this  affair  was  as  follows: 


ADVENTURE  OF  DARNALL  653 

An  officer  of  the  I.o.lgc  got  into  an  altercation  with  anot'-.er 
party  in  my  store.  I  ordered  tliem  botli  out.  My  Masonic 
brother,  a  big  six-foottr,  refused  to  go  and  prevented  the  other 
party  fron;  going.  I  jumped  l)ehind  the  counter  and  called  out: 
"Get  out  of  my  store,  or  I'll  blow  your  brains  out!  ''  whereujjon 
he  went   out. 

In  recalling  those  old  times,  I  can  see  where  "the  even 
tenor  of  its  way"  was  often  rufllcd  by  family  jars  and  quarrels, 
charges  of  brother  against  brother — the  succeeding  lodge  trials, 
most  of  them,  it  now  seems  to  me,  frivolous  and  childish.  T 
suppose  the  same  principle  applied  to  our  small  lodge  as  to 
small    villages    and    towns. 

In  1858.  while  Thomas  R.  Darnall  was  W.M.  of  the  lodge,  he 
went  down  into  Lower  California  as  manager  in  charge  of  a 
party  of  miners  and  prosi)eetors.  The  party  lost  a  nnmlier  of 
their  animals,  and  at  last  canght  the  thief  in  the  act  of  stealing 
one  of  them  and  by  accident  or  otherwise  shot  him.  For  this 
the  whole  party  was  arrested  and  imprisoned,  l)nt  Darnall  found 
means  to  bribe  an  Indian  to  carry  a  letter  to  San  Diego,  stating 
that  they  expected  to  be  summarily  shot  or  sent  to  the  City  of 
Mexico  for  trial,  and  asking  for  help.  The  Masons  at  once  gath- 
ered at  their  hall  and  began  to  devise  means  to  rescue  Darnall 
and  the  other  Americans.  As  it  chanced  to  be  steamer  day,  word 
was  sent  to  the  lodge  at  Los  Angeles  that  their  aid  might  be 
needed,  and  they  replied  by  the  first  mail:  "If  you  wish  help, 
notify  us  at  once,  and  we  will  .join  you  with  fifty  mounted  men." 
The  Mexican  population  of  Old  Town,  becoming  aware  that  an 
armed  expedition  was  in  preparation,  sent  a  courier  to  their 
countrymen,  advising  them  to  release  the  imprisoned  Americans 
at  once,  or  "those  terrible  Masons"  would  be  upon  them.  The 
advice  was  taken  and  the  wiiole  party  released  and  soon  returned 
safely  to  San  Dieo'o.  "This,"  says  Mr.  Morse,  whose  version  of 
this  somewhat  celebrated  incident  has  be-^n  used,  "shows  that 
the  Masons  were  held  in  fear,  if  not  in  loving  regard,  by  the 
mass  of  the  Mexican  population." 

A  number  of  quiet  years  followed,  in  which  the  work  of  the 
lodge  was  carried  on  without  a  break.  In  1870  the  place  of 
meeting  was  removed  to  TTorton's  Addition,  a  change  which 
caused  some  feeling.  In  1880,  plans  were  drawn  up  for  a  tem- 
ple to  be  erected  in  co-operation  with  the  I.  0.  O.  F.  on  a  lot 
which  had  been  purf^hasod  on  the  noi'thwc'^t  corner  of  Sixth  and 
H  Streets.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  on  March  7,  1882,  with 
imposing  ceremonies.  Acting  Grand  Master  W.  W.  Bowers  pre- 
sided, and  the  ]irincipal  address  was  made  bv  "W.  J.  Hunsaker. 
The  new  hall  was  occupied,  for  the  first  time,  on  July  20.  1882, 
and  has  ever  since  been  used  as  the  home  of  this  strong  organ- 
ization. Its  subsequent  history  has  been  one  of  uninterrupted 
prosperity.     At  present  it  has  about  140  members.     Following 


654 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


is  a  list  of  the  Masters  of  this  lodge,  with  the  years  in  which 
they  served: 


William  C.  Ferrell 1S53 

Philip    Crosthwaite l.So4-5 

J.   W.   Eobinsou ISoG 

D.    B.    Kurtz 1857 

Thomas  K.   Darnall lS."i8 

D.    B.    Kurtz IS.IO 

George   A.    Pendleton.  .  18GU 

Marcus    Schiller 1861 

D.    B.    Kurtz 1862 

D.    B.    Kurtz 1863 

Marcus    Schiller 1864 

D.    B.    Kurtz 1865 

D.    B.    Kurtz 1866 

Kurtz 1867 

Kurtz 1868 

Kurtz 1869 

Cleveland ]87i» 

Begole 1871 

Begole 1872 

Begole 1873 

Begole 1874 

Begole 1875 

Paulv 1876 

Pauly 1877 

Thompson 1878 

Bowers 1879 

Bowers 1880 


D. 

B. 

D. 

B. 

D. 

B. 

W. 

H. 

W. 

A. 

w. 

A. 

w. 

A. 

w. 

A. 

w. 

A. 

F. 

N. 

F. 

N. 

J. 

W. 

W. 

W. 

w. 

w. 

L.   H.    Plaisted 1881 

Simon    Levi 1882 

Simon    Levi 1883 

Simon    Levi 1884 

W.   A.   Begole 1885 

D.  Cave 1886 

George  M.  Daunals 1887 

George  M.  Dannals 1888 

A.    Morgan 1889 

E.  T.    Blackmer 1890 

J.    K.    Blackmer 1891 

W.    J.    Mossholder 1892 

W.    J.    Mossholder 1893 

G.    Forster 1894 

G.    C.    Arnohl 1895 

W.    L.    Pierce 1896 

E.   J.   Louis 1897 

M.  J.  Perrin 1898 

Nat    E.    Titus 1899 

W.    E.    Budlong 1900 

Sam   Ferrv    Smith 1901 

G.  A.  Warden 1902 

John  B.  Osborn 1903 

M.  A.  Graham 1904 

A.   H.  Gilbert 1905 

H.   A.   Croghan 1906 


San  Diego  Connnandery  No.  25.  Knights  Templar,  was  organ- 
ized at  a  meeting  held  in  the  Backesto  Block  on  Jnne  22.  1885. 
Those  present  were:  Garrett  G.  Bradt,  John  Peek  Burt.  Charles 
Merwin  Fenn,  Edwin  Ben  Howell,  Edward  Wilkerson  Bushy- 
head,  Nicholas  Ridgley  Hooper.  Joseph  A.  Flint.  Henry  Madi- 
son Jacoby,  Norman  Henry  Conklin,  John  S.  Harbison,  John 
Arm  McRae,  and  Thomas  McCall  Gruwell.  A  petition  to  the 
R.  E.  Grand  Commander  was  drawn  up  and  signed,  praying  for 
a  dispensation  to  form  and  open  a  commandery,  and  recom- 
mended by  the  lodge  at  San  Bernardino.  The  dispensation  was 
granted  on  July  27.  1885.  and  at  the  first  succeeding  meeting  of 
the  lodge  the  following  officers  were  chosen : 

N.   H.   Conklin Eminent   Commander. 

G.   G.   Bradt Generalissimo. 

John  P.  Burt Captain  General. 

C.    M.    Fenn Prelate. 

J.   A.   Flint Senior  Warden. 

H.    M.    Jacoby Junior  Warden. 

John   S.  Harbison Treasurer. 

Edwin   B.   Howell Recorder. 

John    A.    McEae Sword   Bearer. 

E.   W.   Bushyhead Standard   Bearer. 


ORDER  OF  THE  EASTERN  STAR  655 

N.  E.  Hooper Warden. 

Thomas   A.   Bishop Sentiuel. 

This  lodg-e  is  a  prosporons  one  and  has  at  the  present  time 
over  one  hnndred  members. 

Constans  Lodge  of  Perfection,  No.  8,  A.  &  A.  S.  R.,  is  the  third 
oldest  ]\Iasonic  lodge  in  the  city.  It  was  organized  May  13,  1887. 
The  first  Venerable  Master  -was  J.  D.  Rush.  The  lodge  has  65 
members. 

The  first  meeting  for  the  organization  of  a  lodge  of  the  Order 
of  the  Eastern  Star  was  held  on  April  5,  1888,  and  a  charter 
was  granted  in  the  following  October,  to  "Southern  Star  Chap- 
ter, No.  96."    The  first  officers  were: 

Lucy    L.    Dannals Worthy    Matron. 

George  M.  Dannals Worthy   Patron. 

Anna  E.  Kooken Associate   Matron. 

Gertrude   Brobeck Conductress. 

Abbie  A.  Jenks Vssociate  Conductress. 

Maria    M.    Lowell Warder. 

James   S.   Clark Sentinel. 

The  present  membership  is  more  than  125. 

Silver  Gate  Lodge  No.  296  held  its  first  meeting  July  31,  1889, 
and  received  its  charter  October  10th  following.  Among  the 
first  officers  were:  D.  E.  Bailey,  W.M. ;  A.  E.  Dodson.  S.W. ; 
James  Wells,  J.W.     It  has  150  members. 

Constans  Chapter  of  Knights  Rose  Croix,  No.  5,  A.  &  A.  S.  R., 
was  organized  December  3,  1900.  Wise  Master  N.  H.  Conklin 
and  Secretary  Harry  R.  Comly  have  served  in  the  same  capacity 
from  the  first.     The  membership  is  63. 

San  Diego  Council  Knights  Kadosh,  No.  6,  A.  &  A.  S.  R..  was 
organized  March  2.  1903.  James  MacMullen  was  the  first  Com- 
mander, and  Harry  R.  Comly,  Recorder.  This  lodge  has  a  mem- 
bershii^  of  55. 

San  Diego  Consistory,  No.  6,  A.  &.  A.  S.  R.,  was  constituted 
April  28,  1901.  George  M.  Dannals  has  been  Master  of  Kadosh 
and  Harry  R.  Comly,  Registrar,  from  the  beginning.  The  lodge 
has  51  members. 

San  Diego  Chapter,  No.  61,  R.  A.  M.,  is  a  flourishing  lodge 
with  125  members. 

The  first  meeting  preliminary  to  the  organization  of  a  lodge 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  in  San  Diego,  was 
held  at  the  house  of  James  Pascoe  on  December  5,  1868.  The 
formal  institution  was  effected  at  a  meeting  held  on  March  23, 
1869,  held  in  the  hall  over  Porter's  paint  shop,  on  the  corner  of 
Seventh  and  K  Streets.  The  name  adopted  was  San  Diego 
Lodge,  No.  153,  and  the  first  officers  were: 


656 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


Johu    E.    Porter N.  G. 

Alex.    M.    Young V.  G. 

r.    Marlette E.  S. 

S.   S.   Culverwell T. 

After  several  changes,  the  lodge  occupied  the  Temple  at  the 
corner  of  Sixth  and  II  Streets,  owned  jointly  hy  the  jNIasons  and 
Odd  Fellows,  which  has  since  been  its  home.  The  lodge  is  a 
strong  and  prosperous  one,  with  more  than  two  hundred  mem- 
bers.    Following  are  lists  of  charter  members : 


E.    T.    BLACKMER 

A  native  of  New  England  and  citizen  of  San  Diego,  who  was  equally  devoted  to  the  place  of 

his  birth  and  the  place  of  his  adoption,  and  who,  until  his  death  in  1907,  was  closely 

identified  with  the  executive  work  of  the  Masonic  Order 


John    E.    Porter .... 
S,    S.    Culverwell.... 
B.   F.   Nuclei 
Charles  F.  Moore 
Alex.  M.  Young 
E.  D.  Case 


P.  G. 

Amos    Crane 

.  .  .P.  G 

P.  G. 

John    Groesbeck 

W.   C.   Eiokard 
John  0.  Hatleberg 
P.  P.  Willett 
A.  C.  Tedfor,] 
F,  Mullotte. 

...P.  G 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  lodges  of  the  I.  0.   0.  F.  in 


San  Diego 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  ELKS  657 

Anna   Rebekah  Lodge  No.  127. 

Canton   San   Diego    Lodge   No.   22. 

Centennial  Encampment  No.  58. 

San  Diego   Lodge  No.   153. 

Silver  Gate  Eebekah  Lodge  No.   141. 

Sunset  Lodge  No.  328   (Veteran  Odd  Fellows). 

San  Diego  Lodge,  No.  168,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  was  instituted  on  June  8,  1890,  in  Hortoii's  Plall,  witli 
30  charter  members.     The  following  were  the  first  officers : 

J.  M.   Dodge Exalted  Euler. 

Thomas   A.  Nerney Esteemed   Leading   Knight. 

B.  F.    Harville Esteemed  Loyal  Knight. 

J.   S.  Callen Esteemed  Leoturing  Knight. 

J.    McNulty Secretary. 

J.    W.    Sefton Treasurer. 

J.  E.  Wooley Tyler. 

C.  A.  Brown Inside  Guard. 

S.   G.  Montijo Esquire. 

J.   P.   Goodwin 

Eugene    Daney Trustees. 

D.  Goehenauer 

Credit  for  organizing  the  lodge  is  given  to  J.  M.  Dodge,  who 
was  then  a  member  of  Los  Angeles  Lodge,  No.  99.  The  follow- 
ing original  charter  members  are  still  members  of  the  lodge: 
T.  A.  Nerney,  B.  F.  Harville,  J.  S.  Callen,  J.  W.  Sefton,  Eugene 
Daney.  John  Kastle,  D.  Goehenauer,  H.  W.  Alden,  Walter  T. 
Blake.  E.  I\I.  Burbeck,  W.  F.  Riley,  F.  W.  Jackson,  Robert  C. 
Jones.  T.  J.  Storey,  J.  E.  Fishburn,  James  Vernon,  A.  G.  Gas- 
sen,  George  0.  Scribner,  and  J.  M.  Dodge.  The  lodge  has  had 
different  homes,  and  its  present  quarters  occupy  the  entire  sec- 
ond floor  of  the  San  Diego  Gas  &  Electric  Light  Company's 
building.  No.  937  Sixth  Street,  and  are  very  handsomely  fitted 
up.  An  Elk's  Hall  Association  was  incorporated  a  few  months 
ago,  which  acquired  the  lot  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Second 
and  D  Streets,  90x100  feet,  and  a  very  beautiful  granite  and 
brick  building  is  now  being  erected  which  will  be  ready  for  occu- 
pancy early  in  3907.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  with  elaborate 
ceremonies  on  June  9,  1906.  The  membership  of  this  lodge  num- 
bers 381. 

The  first  lodge  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  San  Diego  Lodge 
No.  28,  was  organized  October  3,  1874,  by  Grand  Chancellor  L. 
M.  Manzer,  and  is,  therefore,  nearly  a  third  of  a  century  old. 
The  charter  list  contained  27  names,  of  whom  only  one,  L.  H. 
Plaisted.  was  then  a  member  of  the  order,  he  having  belonged  to 
Pawtucket,  R.  L,  Lodge  No.  5.  The  three  ]u-incipal  officers  first 
chosen  were:  Chancellor  Commander,  E.  F.  Spence:  Vice 
Chancellor,  W.  W.  Stewart :  Prelate,  G.  G.  Bradt.  The  follow- 
ing  is  a  full  list  of  the  original  charter  members: 


658 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


L.  H. 

Plaisted. 

Henry  Bayly 

J.   M.   Spencer 

E.  F.  Speuce 

H.   M.    Covert 

W.  W.  Stewart 

E.    M.    Skinner 

J.  A.  Gordon 

A.    Condee 

G.  G.  Bradt 

F.    N.    Pauly 

E.  W.  Bnshvhead 

A.    S.    Grant 

G.  W.  Hazzard 

J.    N.    Young 

C.  B.  Culver 

J.   G.   Caprou 

J.  W.  Thompson 

Philip     Morse 

COL.    R.    V.    DODGE 

A  conspicious  figure  in  military,  political  and  fraternal  organizations,  who  has  served  as  city 
treasurer  and  as  president  of  the  Chamber  of  Commei-ce 


E.   G.  Balcom 

S.    Statler 

G.    B.   Hensley 

E.  A.  Veazie 


L.  B.  Willson 
D.   Cave 
C.    W.    Pauly 
Douglas    Gunn 


Of  the  above,  only  two  are  now  members,  i.  e.,  G.  W.  Haz- 
zard and  C.  W.  Pauly. 

The  lodo-e  is  a  very  strong  and  active  organization.  It  is  the 
oldest  Pythian  lodge  in  the  district. 

Red  Star  Lodge,  No.  153,  K.  of  P.,  was  organized  September 
28,  1887,  with  a  charter  list  of  17  members  from  other  lodges 


KNIGHTS  OF  PYTHIAS 


659 


and  60  strangers.  The  institution  was  organized  by  J.  M.  Van 
Zant.  who  was  at  the  time  a  member  of  San  Diego  Lodge,  No. 
28.  The  first  officers  were:  Chancellor  Commander,  T.  J.  Mon- 
ahan;  Vice  Chancellor,  G.  A.  TI.  Sprague;  Prelate,  S.  G.  Mon- 
ti.io.  The  lodge  was  named  ])y  Chancellor  Commander  Monahan 
after  his  old  lodge  in  Oliio.  The  present  membership  is  over 
400.  Of  the  original  charter  members,  10  remain,  i.  e.,  J.  W. 
Brenning.  H.  K.  Coon,  T.  J.  Dowell,  M.  German,  George  R.  Har- 


JOHN   B.    OSBORN 

Who  has  filled  the  chief  offices  of  the  Masons  and  the  Elks  and  served  as  president  of  the 
City  Council,  and  who  is  a  favorite  public  speaker 


rison,  George  M.  Hickman,  H.  J.  Place,  F.  E.  Severance,  A.  M. 
Thornbnrg,  and  A.  M.  Turner. 

The  Ladies'  Auxiliary,  called  the  "Rathbone  Sisters,"  is  rep- 
resented by  two  temples:  Woodbine  No.  36  and  Dunton  Tem- 
ple No.  3.  The  Uniform  Rank,  K.  of  P.,  is  represented  by 
Chevalier  Company  No.  6,  attached  to  the  Third  Regiment,  Cali- 
fornia Brigade,  with  headquarters  at  Los  Angeles. 

The  Foresters  are  a  flourishing  organization,  with  the  follow- 
ing Courts: 


660 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Court   Corouado   No.   3798,  I.   O.   F. 

Court  San  Di^go  No.  7799,  A.  O.  F. 

Court  San  Diego  No.  28,  F.  of  A. 

Court  Silver  Gate  No.  138,  F.  of  A. 

Palomar  Circle  No.  .510,  C.  of  F.  of  A. 

Paloniar  Court  No.  176,  F.  of  A. 

Silver  Gate  San  Diego  Circle  No.  271,  F.  of  A. 

The  Woodmen  of  the  World  have  a  strong  membership.  Their 
camps  are  Bay  View  Camp  No.  7255,  Miramar  Camp  No.  54, 
and  San  Diego  Circle  No.  161. 

The  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  are  represented  by  Lodge 
No.  155,  Coalmilla  Tribe.  The  Eagles  have  San  Diego  Aerie 
No.  244.  The  Knights  and  Ladies  ol!  Security  maintain  Council 
No.  429.  The  Maccabees  are  represented  by  Hive  No.  17,  Ladies 
of  M.,  and  San  Diego  Tent  No.  26,  K.  0.  't.  M.  The  Order  of 
Pendo  have  San  Diego  Council  No.  18  and  Southwest  Council 
No.  177.  The  Royal  Arcanum  meet  in  San  Diego  Lodge  No. 
1214.  The  Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  the  Fraternal  Grove, 
the  Fraternal  Aid,  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  the  Fraternal 
Brotherhood  are  all  represented,  the  latter  with  two  councils, 
San  Diego  Lodge  No.  18  and  Tourmaline  Lodge. 

The  A.  0.  U.  W.  are  represented  in  Emblem  Lodge  No.  103, 
Degree  of  Honor,  and  Point  Loma  Lodge  No.  248.  The 
0.  d'H.  S.  assemble  in  San  Diego  Lodge  No.  22,  and  Thusnelda 
Lodge  No.  4. 

There  were  a  number  of  societies,  other  than  secret,  in  San 
Diego  at  a  very  early  day.  One  of  the  earliest  of  these  was  the 
San  Diego  Guards,  organized  in  July,  1856.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  active  of  local  organizations  for  four  or  five  years,  and 
nearly  all  the  able-bodied  Americans  in  San  Diego  were  mem- 
bers. It  Avas  quietly  dropped  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 
George  A.  Pendleton  and  a  few  others  who  had  served  in  the 
regular  array  Avere  the  moving  spirits.  An  amusing  tradition 
is  that  J.  Judson  Ames,  he  of  the  gigantic  figure,  used  to  march 
at  the  head  of  the  column  on  public  occasions  with  an  ax  on  his 
shoulder.  The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  original  nuister  roll 
of  the  company : 


Captain  Geo.   A.  Pendleton. 
1st  Lieut.  Wm.  H.  Noyes. 
2nd  Lieut.  D.  B.  Kurtz. 
3rd  Lieut.  Jas.  W.  Connors. 
1st  Serg.  Andrew  Cotton. 
2nd  Serg.  E.  D.  Israel 
3rd   Serg.   .Tas.    Donahoe. 


4tli  Serg.  Jos.  Schycoffer. 
1st  Corp.  Jno.  T.  Van  Alst. 
2nd  Corp.  Natli.  Vise. 
3rd  Corp.  Edw.   Kerr. 
4th  Corp.  Frank  Kerren. 
1st  Drummer  Chas.  Morris. 
1st  Fifer  F.  E.  Maretowskv. 


Privates. 

Ames,  J.  Judson 
Anderson.  Jos   A. 


Privates. 


Alvarado 
Blackstone,  J.  P. 


Privates. 

Brown,  Jno. 
Brinkerhoflf.  J.  P. 


THE  SAN  DIEGO  GUARDS 


6G1 


Privates 

Barnes,  E.  W. 
Gouts,   W.   B. 
Crist,   Andrew 
Chisumn,   P.   G. 
Darnall,   Thos   R. 
Estudillo,  Jose  G. 
Gerson,  Clias. 
Goldman,   S. 
Gitchel],    J.   E. 
Groom,  E.  W. 
Hoffman,  D.  B. 
Herald,  Duane 
Jessup,    W.    H. 


Privates 

Leighton,  Win.  H. 
Lc   Eoy,   Wni.   H. 
Lyons,   George 
Magee,   H. 
Morse,   E.    \V. 
Marron,  Jose  C. 
Mannasse,   H. 
Mannasse,    Jose    S. 
Mannasse,  M. 
Maxcy,  A.   E. 
Pond,  J.  P. 
Pond   C.   H. 
Einggold,  Walter 


Privates 

Eobiiison,    Win. 
Eathburn,  (.'lias.  y. 
Eeiner,  Jos. 
Smith,   Jos. 
Schiller,   Marcus 
Sutton,    Anscu   G. 
Smith,  A.  B. 
Schneider,  Edw.  N. 
Tolnian,    Geo.    B. 
Whaley,  Thos. 
Ward,  Isaac 
Wall,   E.   A. 

Wiley,   A.   C. 


a  little  while,  and  it  was  not 
the  oro'anization   of  the   Citv 


This  old  organization  of  San  Diego  Guards  was,  of  course,  the 
legitimate  forerunner  of  the  modern  militia  (X.  G.  C.).  The 
first  military  organization  after  the  Civil  War  Avas  known  as 
the  San  Diego  Light  Guards,  Avhieh  organized  on  October  18, 
1876,  at  Horton's  Hall.  The  first  officers  were:  First  lieuten- 
ant, A.  P.  Jolly ;  second  lieutenant,  Henry  Bayly ;  orderly  ser- 
geant, W.  H.  Gladstone ;  first  duty  sergeant,  J.  IT.  Rieliardson ; 
second  sergeant,  J.  F.  Bowman;  third  sergeant,  J.  N.  Petty; 
fourth  sergeant,  Aug.  Warner. 

This  seems  to  have  died  out  in 
until  early  in  April,  1881,  that 
Guards  was  effected.  The  organization  began  amid  considerable 
enthusiasm,  with  60  names  on  the  roll.  The  first  officers  were: 
President,  Douglas  Gunn  :  secretary,  Philo  E.  Beach ;  treasurer. 
0.  S.  Hubbell.  The  military  officers  were:  Captain,  Douglas 
Gunn ;  first  lieutenant,  Martin  Lacy ;  second  lieutenant,  George 
M.  Dannals.  A  successful  entertainment  was  soon  after  given 
for  their  benefit,  and  on  October  12th  the  company  Avas  reorgan- 
ized. Avith  the  same  officers  as  a  company  of  the  7th  Regiment 
Infantry  of  the  National  Guard  of  California.  Douglas  Gunn 
continued  to  act  as  captain  of  this  organization  as  long  as  he 
lived.  T^pon  his  return  from  the  East  after  retiring  from  the 
Union,  in  the  fall  of  1887,  he  Ava.s  presented  Avith  a  very  valua- 
ble sAvord  by  his  comrades. 

The  present  officers  are:  Ed.  Fletcher,  captain: 
first  lieutenant :  H.  J.  Schlegel,  second  lieutenant 
tains  since  organization  haA'e  been : 


TT.  R.  Fay, 
The  cap- 


Douglas  Gunn, 
Thomas  A.  Nerney, 
Harry  M.     Schiller, 


Eichard  V.  Dodge, 
John  M.  Smith, 
Ed  Fletcher. 


The  Third  DiAdsion  of  the  Naval  Militia  is  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Roscoe  HoAvard,  and  uses  the  old  U.  S.  S.  Pinta  as 
its  headquarters. 


662  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

The  Societ\'  of  Veterans  of  the  Mexican  War  was  organized 
January  12,  1878.  Colonel  Wm.  Jetf  Gatewood  was  chosen  pres- 
ident ;  G.  F.  W.  Richter,  secretary.  Others  present  were :  Cap- 
tain Ferris,  Dr.  Wm.  A.  Winder.  Jose])h  Leonard,  E.  M.  Rankin, 
D.  B.  Bush,  and  A.  H.  Julian. 

The  G.  A.  R.  are  strong  in  San  Diego.  The  first  post  organ- 
ized was  Heintzehnan  Post  No.  33.  In  1882,  iMemorial  Day  was 
observed  for  the  first  time  in  San  Diego  under  their  auspices. 
Colonel  E.  T.  Blackmer  delivered  the  oration.  Datus  E.  Coon 
Post  No.  172.  Heintzelman  Corps  No.  1,  W.  R.  C,  and  Datus  E. 
Coon  Corps  No.  84  are  active  l)ranches.  General  IT.  S.  Grant 
Circle.  Ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  Heintzelman  Woman's  Relief 
Corps  No.  1  represent  the  activities  of  the  ladies  of  the  G.  A.  R. 
The  latter  corps  was  organized  in  July,  1883,  and  was  the  first 
auxiliary  of  the  G.  A.  R.  organized  in  this  state. 

The  Spanish-American  War  Veterans  have  a  post  called  Camp 
Bennington. 

John  INTorgan  Camp  1198  represents  the  United  Veterans  of 
the  Confederacy. 

San  Diego  Parlor  No.  168,  N.  S.  G.  W.,  were  organized  in  1887 
and  formally  installed  with  imposing  ceremonies.  June  8.  1887. 
The  first  officers  were:  President.  W.  J.  Ilunsaker;  first  vice- 
president.  W.  E.  Princely;  second  vice-president,  C.  A.  Camp- 
hell;  third  vice-president,  C.  A.  Loomis ;  treasurer,  M.  Klauber; 
trustees.  W.  H.  Hooper,  Harry  Schiller,  and  B.  Bacon.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1887,  Admission  Day  was  celebrated,  for  the  first  time 
in  San  Diego,  under  the  auspices  of  the  new  organization. 

The  Native  Daughters  of  the  Golden  West  also  maintain  an 
oreanization. 

The  first  Pioneer  Society  in  San  Dieu'o  was  organized  Febru- 
ary 12.  1872.  Membership  was  to  be  limited  to  persons  arriv- 
ing before  1854.  The  following;  is  a  partial  list  of  the  first 
members : 

W.  B.  Coiits,  December  2fi,  ]S4f). 
Jose  G.  Estiidillo,  native  born. 
George  Lyons,  December,  1S46. 
Thomas  Whaley,  July  22,  1849. 
Marcus  Schiller,  September  22,  18.53. 
James  W.  Connors,  October,  18.52. 
Wm.  A.  Winder,  May,  1853. 
John  W.  LeamA^  October,  1851. 
Daniel  P.  Glnrk.  March  6.  1847. 
T.  G.  Battaile,  November,  1849. 
Miguel  Aguirre,  native  born. 
Thomas  P.   Slade,  May,   1849. 
A.  O.  Wallace,  October  22,  1852. 
Thos.  H.  Bush.  February,  1853. 

D.  Crichton,  September',  1853. 

E.  W.  Bushyhead,  August  2,  1850. 


SOCIETY  OF  PIONEERS 


663 


Another  San  Diego  Pioneer  Society  was  formed  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Jolm  G.  Capron,  March  1,  1888.  E.  W.  Moi-se  was 
elected  president  and  Donghis  Gunn,  secretary.  The  date  limit 
set  was  January  1.  1871.  This  and  tlie  former  society  seem  to 
have  survived  but  a  short  time.  The  only  pioneer  societv  now 
in  existence  is  the  Ladies'  Pioneer  Society,  of  Avhich  Mrs. 
Mathew  Sherman  is  president  and  :\Irs.  M.  A.  Steadman  is  sec- 
retary. This  society  was  formed  .Alay  81.  1895.  The  first  pres- 
ident was  Mrs.  Flora  Kimhall,  and  the  secretary  Mrs.  Ilattie 


HERBERT  A.    CROGHAN 
A  leader  of  the  Masons  and  Knig-hts  of  Pythias,  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education 


Phillips.     Membership  is  limited  to  those  arriving  before  Janu- 
ary, 1880.    There  are  at  present  more  than  100  members. 

A  New  England  Society  was  formed  in  San  Diego  on  Novem- 
ber 23.  1854,  the  officers  of  which  were :  President,  O.  S.  With- 
erby;  vice-presidents,  Judge  J.  Judson  Ames,  Colonel  J.  R. 
Gitchell.  and  Captain  H.  S.  Burton,  U.  S.  A. ;  recording  secre- 
tary; Captain  George  P.  Tebbetts;  corresponding  secretary. 
Judge  E.  "W.  ]\Iorse.  A  eonmiittee  was  chosen  to  make  arrange- 
ments for  the  celebration  of  Forefathers*  Day,  but  at  this  point 


664  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

the  record  ends.  The  present  New  England  Society  was  formed 
a  few  years  ago. 

The  San  Diego  Society  of  Natnral  History  was  incorporated 
in  October,  1874,  and  has  maintained  an  active  existence  to  the 
present.  The  society  has  had  but  three  presidents.  The  first 
was  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Barnes;  the  second,  Daniel  Cleveland.  At  the 
present  time  General  A.  W.  Vogdes  is  president,  and  Frank 
Stephens  secretary.  The  San  Diego  Lj-ceum  of  Sciences  existed 
for  some  years,  but  is  now  dormant. 

On  February  7,  1880,  there  was  a  fight  between  a  badger  and 
some  dogs,  which  was  witnessed  bj^  a  large  crowd.  Someone  who 
witnessed  it  wrote  an  indignant  article  w4iich  appeared  in  the 
Union,  and  that  paper  urged  the  immediate  formation  of  a  soci- 
ety for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  animals.  A  public  meeting 
was  held  and  the  organization  soon  after  perfected.  The  first 
officers  were :  M.  S.  Root,  president :  D.  Cave,  vice-president ; 
George  N.  Hitchcock,  secretary;  E.  W.  Morse,  treasurer.  The 
society  was  succeeded  by  the  San  Diego  Humane  Society,  the 
present  officers  of  which  are:  Dr.  Thomas  Cogswell,  president; 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Hall,  secretary. 

The  first  W.  C.  T.  IT.  in  San  Diego  was  organized  by  Frances 
E.  Willard,  in  1884.  Mrs.  C.  D.  Watkins  is  president,  and  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Linguian,  secretary. 

Besides  those  which  have  been  mentioned,  San  Diego  has  a 
large  number  of  clubs  and  societies,  such  as  are  usually  found 
in  larger  cities. 


CHAPTER  X 
ACCOUNT   OF  THE  FIRE   DEPARTMENT 

HE  first  agitation  for  the  purchase  of  a  fire 
engine  at  Horton's  Addition  began  in  the  fall 

Tj^YI  of  1869,  when  the  newspapers  took  the  ques- 
jtm\  tion  up  and  discussed  it  with  some  vigor.  As 
5)\'(  i>-  fii'st  step,  a  benefit  was  given  at  Horton's 
Hall,  which  netted  $250,  and  on  the  20th  of 
the  same  month  another  entertainment  was 
given  for  their  benefit.  The  formal  organiza- 
tion was  effected  on  May  17th,  when  about  50  citizens  met  and 
formed  themselves  into  the  Pioneer  Hook  and  Ladder  Company. 
The  following  oifieers  were  selected:  Foreman,  W.  S.  McCor- 
mick ;  first  assistant,  John  N.  Young ;  second  assistant,  William 
P.  Henderson;  secretary,  B.  C.  Brown;  treasurer,  A.  IT.  Julian. 
On  June  8th,  the  first  regular  meeting  was  held  and  the  same 
officers  chosen  to  serve  for  the  ensuing  year,  except  that  John 
H.  Todman  was  made  treasurer,  in  place  of  A.  11.  Julian,  and 
the  following  additional  officers  Avere  selected:  President,  Chal- 
mers Scott ;  steward,  John  M.  Heidelburg ;  trustees,  A.  H.  Julian, 
E.  W.  Nottage,  and  George  W.  Hazzard. 

It  took  more  than  a  year  to  raise  money  enough  to  secure  a 
truck.  In  June,  1871,  it  is  recorded  that  Mr.  Whitaker  had 
returned  with  all  the  materials  for  the  construction  of  a  first- 
class  fire-truck.  The  sum  of  $500  had  been  subscribed  for  the 
purchase  of  apparatus  and  $400  more  were  needed.  The  first 
ball  was  given  by  the  new  department  early  in  September;  it 
was  a  social  success,  but  a  financial  failure.  On  October  12th 
the  new  truck  was  finished  and  housed.  In  November  of  this 
year,  the  business  men  sank  a  well  opposite  the  store  of  Julian 
&  Stutsman,  expressly  as  a  protection  against  fire.  Additional 
equipment  was  gradually  acquired  and  the  efficiency  of  the 
department  began  to  improve. 

A  year  later,  October  9,  1872,  the  successor  of  the  hook  and 
ladder  company,  known  as  San  Diego  Fire  Engine  Company 
No.  1,  was  organized,  and  the  agitation  for  the  purchase  of  an 
engine  was  renewed.  The  first  fire  plug  in  the  city  was  set  up 
by  S.  P.  Abell,  in  front  of  his  building  on  Fifth  and  D  Streets. 
The  water  was  turned  on  and  a  test  of  it  made  on  April  9,  1874. 


666  HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 

In  November  San  Diego  Engine  Company  No.  1  received  a  new 
hose  carriage. 

In  January,  1878,  the  arrival  is  ])roudly  recorded  of  a  new 
fire  alarm  bell,  which  "measures  over  3  ft.  across  the  month  and 
will  be  heard  for  miles  around."  It  Aveighed  550  pounds,  and 
cost  $95.  This  bell  was  used  until  July  1,  1880,  when  it  was 
broken.  As  the  department  was  a  volunteer  one,  the  loss  of  the 
bell  was  a  serious  matter.  There  was  some  difficulty  and  delay 
in  replacing  it,  and  the  tire  company  resolved,  early  in  Septem- 
ber, that  it  would  consider  itself  out  of  active  service  until  the 
city  had  a  new  bell.  It  was  not  secured  until  February  1,  1881. 
The  new  bell  weighed  1.000  pounds  and  cost  $300. 

In  the  early  80 's  the  fire  department  ran  down  and  reached 
a  very  low  ebb.  In  September,  1883,  there  was  danger  that  it 
could  not  be  kept  up  any  longer,  and  the  newspapers  appealed 
to  the  citizens  to  aid  it.  An  appropriation  of  $100  by  the  city 
council  was  asked,  so  "that  the  fire  department  can  be  brought 
up  to  an  effective  force  of  25  or  30  members,"  and  the  Union 
hoped  that  "no  calamity  may  befall  this  city  while  in  the  help- 
less condition  of  being  without  a  fire  department. ' '  These  efforts 
resulted  in  an  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  department, 
but  no  large  departures  followed. 

On  December  12,  188-1,  occurred  one  of  the  most  noted  fires 
of  early  days.  This  was  the  burning  of  the  planing  mill  and 
beehive  factory  of  Greorge  M.  Wetherbee,  on  the  corner  of  G-  and 
Arctic  Streets,  with  a  loss  of  $12,000. 

In  April,  1885.  another  new  fire  bell  was  needed,  and  there 
was  some  trouble  in  securing  a  satisfactory  one.  The  first  bell 
sent  had  to  be  returned;  a  new  one  arrived  on  July  23d,  and 
was  put  into  commission.  Bryant  Howard  gave  the  sum  required 
for  its  purchase,  $500,  and  the  bell  was  inscribed:  '.'Presented 
to  San  Diego  Engine  Company  No.  1,  by  Bryant  Howard,  Cash- 
ier Consolidated  National  Bank,  San  Diego." 

Coronado  Engine  Company  No.  1  was  organized  on  April  22, 
1886,  and  the  following  February  it  was  announced  that  bids  for 
the  erection  of  an  engine  house  f(n'  its  use  would  be  adver- 
tised for. 

The  fire  department  having  sent  for  a  belt,  hat,  and  trumpet, 
they  were  offered  to  Chief  Engineer  S.  M.  ^McDowell,  who  used 
them  from  December,  1886.  In  the  following  March,  McDowell 
nifide  a  number  of  recommendations  in  his  annual  report.  He 
wished  a  tower  erected  at  the  foot  of  Fifth  Street  and  the  old 
bell  placed  in  it ;  a  steam  fire  engine  was  needed,  also  two  new 
hose  carts  and  more  horses.  He  also  suggested  the  considera- 
tion of  a  paid  fire  department  and  an  electric  alarm  system. 


BOARD  OF  FIRE  DELEGATES 


667 


The  new  hose  oai-ts  were  promptly  furnished,  and,  in  April, 
Coronado  Fire  Engine  Company  No.  2  was  formed  and  negotia- 
tions were  opened  for  the  purchase  of  a  steam  fire  engine.  The 
engine  purchased  was  made  by  La  France  Engine  Company,  of 
Syracuse,  New  York.  It  cost  about  $4,000  delivered,  arrived 
early  in  November,  1887,  and  was  San  Diego's  first  steam  fire 
engine.    It  is  now  kept  as  a  relic  in  Engine  House  No.  L 

In  the  fall  of  1886,  the  city  trustees  created  the  Board  of  Fire 
Delegates  of  the  City  of  San  Diego,  to  consist  of  the  trustees  of 


A.    B.    CAIRNES 

Who  served  for  years  as  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  and  developed  the  organization  from 
the  level  of  a  country  town  to  a  metropolitan  standard 


the  different  fire  companies.  These  trustees  met  on  January  6, 
1887,  for  organization  and  election  of  officers.  Those  present 
were  James  Rooney,  Theodore  Fiutzelberg.  and  Albert  Hertz. 
trustees  of  San  Diego  Engine  Company  No.  1;  and  Frank  J. 
Higgins,  Henry  L.  Ryan,  and  A.  F.  Dill,  trustees  of  Coronado 
Engine  Company  No.  2.  They  chose  for  their  president.  James 
Rooney;  secretary,  Frank  J.  Higgins;  treasurer,  Bryant  How- 
ard; chief  engineer,  S.  i\I.  McDowell;  assistant  engineers.  John 
Moffitt  and  C?  F.  :Murphy. 


668  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

The  equipment  of  the  hre  department  at  the  close  of  the  year 
1887  consisted  of  the  foUowing :  2  steam  fire  engines,  2  hook 
and  bidder  trucks,  1  hose  cart,  3,500  feet  of  hose,  11  horses,  and 
6  chemical  fire  extinguishers.  The  expenses  of  the  department 
for  the  year  were  between  $12,000  and  $13,000,  although  there 
were  only  2  salaried  officers. 

In  the  year  1888,  the  department  not  having  kept  pace  with 
the  growth  of  the  city  and  the  bursting  of  the  boom  making  it 
impossible  for  the  trustees  to  provide  sufficient  equipment,  the 
department  had  a  hard  struggle  and  was  unable  to  perform  its 
work  properly.  The  hook  and  ladder  trucks  had  to  be  pulled  by 
hand,  on  account  of  the  shortage  of  horses.  There  were  other 
causes  of  complaint,  and  the  dissatisfaction  and  disorganization 
were  so  great  that  insurance  men  became  alarmed.  Engineer 
McDoAvell  resigned  in  IMarch  and  was  succeeded  by  Albert  Hertz. 
The  fire  companies  then  in  existence  were: 

San  Diego  Engine  Company  No.  1,  consisting  of  32  men,  12 
of  whom  were  active;  Howard  Hook  and  Ladder  Company 
No.  1,  48  men,  25  active;  and  Coronado  Engine  Company  No.  2, 
65  men,  which  had  disbanded,  but  was  reorganized  in  April. 
On  June  1th  a  new  volunteer  company  was  organized  and  called 
the  M.  D.  Hamilton  Brigade.  In  July,  the  department  was 
reorganized,  new  officers  elected,  and  a  set  of  byJaws  adopted. 

During  the  spring,  summer,  and  fall  of  1888,  a  series  of  dis- 
astrous fires  occurred,  which  many  believed  were  of  incendiary 
origin.  A  list  of  the  principal  conflagrations  at  that  time  is 
given  herewith : 

On  May  3d,  a  fire  burned  over  half  the  block  bounded  by 
Fifth,  Sixth,  F  and  G  Streets.  The  heaviest  losers  were  Ham- 
ilton &  Co.,  Fred  N.  Hamilton,  and  Williams  &  Ingle.  The  total 
loss  w^as  about  $150,000.  The  Irailding  consumed  was  known  as 
the  Central  Market,  and  was  built  in  1873. 

Sixth  Street,  between  F  and  G,  was  the  scene  of  a  destructive 
fire  on  May  26th.  The  San  Diego  Printing  Company  was  burned 
out  and  the  postoffice  had  a  narrow  escape.  The  loss  was  about 
$40,000. 

On  June  1st,  the  buildings  of  Foreman  &  Stone,  on  Seventh 
Street,  with  their  contents,  were  burned.  The  loss  was  about 
$40,000. 

A  frame  building  on  H  Street,  between  State  and  Union,  was 
consumed  by  fire  on  August  29th;  loss,  $6,000. 

On  September  5th,  the  new  Backesto  Block,  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  11  Streets,  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was 
owned  by  Dr.  J.  P.  Backesto,  of  San  Jose,  and  was  built  in 
1887  at  a  cost  of  $45,000.  The  heaviest  losers  were  Klauber  & 
Levi,  whose  loss  was  about  $250,000.  with  $150,000  insurance. 


A  PAID  DEPARTMENT 


669 


Hiiusaker,  Britt  &  Lamme,  attorneys,  lost  their  law  library  (the 
l^onnnnn^^'^  "^^'^'  '^'^^"'''^  ^^  ^^'^'^^^-     '^^^'"^  ^0*^1  '^ss   was  mvr 

On  January  23,  1889,  the  Board  of  Fire  Delo-ates  ordered 
certificates  of  membership  to  be  issued  to  the  following  fire  com- 
panies, which  shows  the  organizations  that  were  in  existence  at 
that  time,  as  re-numbered : 

San    Diego    Engine    Company    No.    1. 
Horton  "  "  <i      o 


RICHARD   A.    SHUTE 

Who  succeeded  Chief  Cairnes  as  head  of  the  Fire  Department,  retiring  from  the  position  in 

1907  with  a  good  record  to  his  credit 


Hamilton  " 

Howard  Hook  &  Ladder 
Hart  "     "       " 


When  the  new  city  charter  was  adopted,  in  the  spring  of  1889, 
provision  was  made,  for  the  first  time,  for  the  organization  of 
a  paid  fire  department.  The  control  of  this  department  was 
vested  in  a  board  of  fire  commissioners,  appointed  liy  the  mayor. 
In  pursuance  of  this  power,  Ma.yor  Douglas  Gunn  sent  to  the 
council,  early  in  May,  1889,  the  following  names  for  members 


670  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

of  the  lirst  board:  Joliii  P.  Burt,  J.  K.  Hamilton,  aud  E.  F. 
Eockfellow.  This  board  was  approved  by  the  council,  and  organ- 
ized by  electing  Burt  president,  and  Henry  Bradt  secretary. 
On  June  5th  the  l)oard  selected  A.  B.  Cairnes  as  the  tirst  chief 
engineer  of  the  new  department. 

]\Ir.  Cairnes  was  an  old  tlreman.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
New  York  fire  department  several  years,  and  foreman  of  Wash- 
ington Engine  Company  No.  20,  in  that  city,  from  ]May,  1862, 
until  the  volunteer  service  was  terminated  by  the  organization 
of  the  present  Metropolitan  Fire  Department,  in  1866.  He 
remained  at  the  head  of  the  San  Diego  fire  department  until 
November  29,  1905,  when  he  resigned  on  account  of  age  and 
ill  health. 

At  the  time  of  this  reorganization,  the  force  and  ecpiipment 
of  the  fire  department  were  as  follows :  1  chief,  2  engineers,  5 
foremen,  6  drivers,  and  28  firemen ;  there  were  2  steam  fire 
engines,  2  hose  carriages,  1  hose  wagon,  2  hook  and  ladder  wag- 
ons, and  11  horses. 

The  Gamewell  system  of  electric  fire  alarms  was  installed  in 
1892.  In  this  year  also  a  number  of  new  engine  houses  were  fit- 
ted up  and  occupied. 

The  successor  of  Chief  Cairnes  is  Richard  A.  Shute.  Mr. 
Shute  has  been  identified  with  the  department  since  1888.  when 
he  became  driver  of  Ilortou  Hose  Company  No.  1.  Before  com- 
ing to  San  Diego,  he  was  member  of  the  San  Francisco  fire 
department  and  saw  considerable  service. 

At  the  present  time,  there  are  30  fire  alarm  stations.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  different  engine  houses  is  as  follows : 

Engine  and  Hose   Company  Xo.    1  :    southeast  corner  of  Second 

and  E   Streets; 
Hook  and  Ladder  Company  No.  1;  southeast  corner  of  Tenth  and 

B   Streets; 
Engine    and   Hose    Company   No.    2;    southeast    corner   of    Tenth 

and  B  Streets; 
Hose  Company  No.  3;  southeast  corner  of  Eighth  and  .T  Streets; 
Chemical  Engine;   Fourth   and  Laurel   Streets; 
Combination    Chemical;    Kearny    Avenue    between    Twenty-sixth 

and  Twenty-seventh  Streets; 
Combination    Cliemical;    Twenty-third    and   F   Streets; 
Combination  Chemical;  Ninth  and  University  Streets. 

The  following  table  shows  the  officers  of  the  fire  department, 
from  its  organization  : 


NEW  FIEE  DEPAETMENT. 
I. 

Board  of  Fire  Commissioners. 

1889                              1891                              1893 

Pres. 

J.  P.  Burt                   G.  B.  Grow               G.  B.  Grow 

STATISTICS  OF  FIRES 


671 


Chief 
Eng  "r 

Pres. 


Chief 
Eng'r 

Pres. 


Chief 
Eng'r 

Pres. 


Chief 
Eng  'r 


J.  K.  lianiiltoii 
E.  F.  Eockf  eJlow 

A.  B.  Cairnes 

1895 
G.  B.  Grow 
Geo.  E.  Harrison 
Geo.  W.  Marston 

A.  B.  Cairnes 

1900 

B.  F.  Mertznuam 
E.  J.  Carter 
Juo.  P.  Burt 

A.  B.   Cairnes 

1904 
Jno.  P.  Burt 
A.  G.  E.lwards 
Geo.  K.  Harrison 

A.  B.  Cairnes 


J.  P.  Burt 

E.  F.  Rockfellow 

A.  B.  Cuirues 

1897 
Geo.  E.  Harrison 
G.  B.  Grow 
C.  A.  Dievendorff 


.7.  P.  Burt 
Geo.  W.  Marston 

A.  B.  Cairnes 

1899 
J.  E.  Wadham 
G.  B.  Grow 
.T.  P.  Burt 


A.  B.  Cairnes  A.  B.  Cairnes 

1901  1903 

A.  G.  Edwarils        A.   G.   Edwards 

B.  F.  Mertzmann  B.    F.    Mertzmann 
Jno.  P.  Burt  .Tno.  P.  Burt 


A.  B.  Cairnes 
1905 


A.  B.  Cairnes 
1905-6 


Geo.  E.  Harrison    Geo.   E.   Harrison 


Jno.  P.  Burt 
A.  G.  Edwards 
A.  B.  Cairnes 
E.  A.  Shnto 

II. 


Vernon   D.  Eood 
A.  G.  Edwards 

E.  A.  Sliute 


Statistics  of  Fires  xVXD  Fire  Losses. 


Department  called  out: 

still        Box        Total 
Alarms  Alarms  Alarms 


Losses 


1889 

$33,145 

1890 

19 

10 

29 

17,650 

1891 

28 

8,035 

1892 

25 

10 

35 

11,175 

1893 

15 

13 

28 

9,145 

1894 

25 

12 

37 

9,700 

1895 

54 

29,900 

1896 

28 

11 

39 

10,980 

1897 

31 

11 

42 

37,700 

1898 

27 

13 

40 

12,640 

1899 

38 

16 

54 

13,485 

1900 

21 

17 

38 

37,560 

1901 

29 

6 

35 

5,575 

1902 

50 

17,420 

1903 

38 

23.966 

1904 

17 

30 

47 

14.S40 

190.3 

53 

13,6^3 

REMARKS. 

$29,245  before  department. 


Average  per  fire  $388,  low- 
est  on   record. 

Citv  $14,000.  Outside  $16,- 

700. 
City  $8,485.     Schooner  Se- 

"quoia  $5,000. 
Smallest  in  dept.  history. 

Prop  'tv  involved  $388,850 
''  ■  "       $170,950 


PART  SEVENTH 

Miscellaneous    Topics 


CHAPTER  I 

HISTORY  OF  THE   SAN   DIEGO  CLIMATE 

0  FEATURE  of  Sau  Diego  is  better  worthy  of 
a  place  in  these  historical  records  than  the 
famous  climate  which,  of  all  local  resources, 
is  the  oue  which  has  done  most  to  create  the 
city  and  give  it  wide  reputation.  It  is  a  pity 
that  exact  information  does  not  go  back  to 
tlie  time  of  the  earliest  settlement.  Of  the 
Mission  period  we  have  only  such  meager  rec- 
ords as  this  kept  by  the  Fathers  at  San  Luis  Rey: 

1776,  Copius  rainfall. 

1787,  Eain  insufficient,  crops  short. 

1791,  Extremely  dry.     No  rain  the  whole  j'ear. 

1794,  Eainfall  insufficient,  crops  short. 

1795,  Very  dry. 

1819,  Short  in  rain  and  crops. 
1827,  Short  in  rain  and  crops. 
1832,  Short  in  rain  and  crops. 

This  would  seem  to  be  an  effectual  answer  to  the  saying  of 
the  Spaniards  that  tlrouth  was  unknown  until  the  Americans 
came.  Fortunately,  we  do  not  depend  upon  such  fragmentary 
records  for  the  history  of  the  climate  in  later  times.  The  facts 
m  this  chapter  are  supplied  by  the  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau  fore- 
caster, Ford  A.  Carpenter,  and  are  given  in  his  own  words : 

Four  elements  enter  into  a  consideration  of  the  climate  of 
San  Diego.  ISTamed  according  to  their  importance,  they  are 
as  follows:  (1)  Distance  from  the  northern  storm  tracks,  and 
the  southern  storms  of  the  Lower  California  coast;  (2)  prox- 
imity to  the  ocean  on  the  west;  (3)  mountains  in  the  east,  (4) 
and  the  great  Colorado  desert  still  further  east.  The  num- 
ber of  the  northern  areas  of  low  pressure  sufficiently  great,  and 
moving  far  enough  south  to  exert  an  influence  at  the  latitude 
of  San  Diego,  are  comparatively  few;  not  one-tenth  of  these 
lows  have  an  appreciable  effect  on  the  climate.  The  storms 
from  the  south  ("Sonoras, "  as  they  arc  locally  known),  have 
but  little  energy,  and  probably  average  two  a  year.  Aa  is  the 
case  in  all  marine  climates  the  ocean  exerts  b.y  far  the  most 
powerful  effect.  This  is  noticed  in  the  slight  daily  variation 
in  temperature,  and  the  absence  of  either  cold  or  hot  weather. 
The  average  daily  change  in  temperature  from  day  to  day  is  2 
degrees,    and    the    extremes    in    temperature,    from    a    record   of 


676 


HISTORY   OF  SAN   DIEGO 


thirty-four  years,  are  101  degrees  and  32  degrees.  The  temper- 
ature has  exceeded  90  degrees  twenty-two  times  in  thirty-four 
years,  or  on  an  average  of  about  twice  every  three  years.  Five 
times  in  the  history  of  the  station  has  the  temperature  touched 
32  degrees,  but  has  never  fallen  lower.  Five  killing,  frosts 
have  occurred  in  San  Diego  since  the  establishment  of  the 
station,  but  aside  from  blackening  tender  shoots,  and  killing 
delicate   flowers,    no    damage   was   done. 


FORD   A.    CARPENTER 

Local  Forecaster  U.  S.  Weather  Bureau.     Located,  1896;  having  been  transferred  from  Car- 
son, Nevada.     Promoted  in  1906  to  Local  Forecaster;  since  1892,  Director  of  San 
Diego  Natural   History   Society;   since  1905.  Director  of  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  now  Treasurer  of  same.     First  President 
of  San  Diego  Camera  Club 


The  "desert'"  winds  are  responsible  for  temperatures  above 
90  degrees,  and  they  are  therefore  accompanied  by  extremely 
low  humidity.  Eecords  of  humidity  below  10  per  cent  are  not 
uncommon  during  the  two  or  three  hours  duration  of  the  desert 
wind;  3  per  cent  is  the  lowest  relative  humidity  ever  recorded 
at  this  station.  As  the  sea-breeze  is  stronger  than  the  desert 
wind,  the  highest  point  reached,  whenever  the  temperature 
is  above  90  degrees,  usually  occurs  about  eleven  a.m.  At  this 
time  the  sea-breeze  overcomes  the  land-breeze,  and.  the  tem- 
perature   drops    to    the   normal. 


677 


SoscJ    on  20  years'    i-ecor-c/s     anc^    /year-   o/"  nar~mq/ 
r-ot>-,f\y//     as   a/eie/~m-'r,^c/    /'rom    a//  ava,/ail^  rc<LO-<ii 


fronn     the 
'OC     SO  CL//VATOi.OOY      OF    CAL//=-Of>f^ /A 

Pla  te  a 
Pab/i'shtct    i}   /Ac 
C/.S.weATMeAl      BUtfCAU. 


RAIN   MAP   OF   CALIFORiNIA 


678 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


^«C^OOZO~)''-I<£''>-><t/^OzO~»"-r<g-'~><^OZO->>^i:<  *l^^<\nozO~iu.z  <r-j-a<;/^ozQ~j>^£<£-a~^<OOgQ-aii,t:<£- 


RAINFALL   CHART   OF   SAN   DIEGO   COUNTY 


Nothing  so  clearly  illustrates  the  strietly  local  character 
of  the  climate  of  San  Diego  as  the  humidity.  While  the  mean 
annual  relative  humidity  is  72  per  cent  at  the  Weather  Bureau 
station,  two  miles  north  and  at  an  increase  of  two  hundred 
feet  in  elevation,  the  humidity  decreases  15  per  cent.  Five 
miles  away,  and  at  an  elevation  of  three  hundred  feet,  there  is 


THE  EQUABLE  TEMPERATURE  679 

a  further  decrease  of  5  per  ceut.     The  temperature  is  of  course 
proportionately   higher. 

The  maximum  amount  of  sunshine  occurs  in  November,  and  the 
minimum  in  May  and  June;  the  winters  being  usually  bright 
and  warm,  and  the  summers  cloudy  and  cool  The  photograpliic 
sunshine  recorder  was  installed  in  1890,  and  this  sixteen  years 
record  shows  an  average  of  about  three  days  each  year  without 
sunshine. 

In  1902,  there  were  two  days  above  80  degrees  and  three 
days  below  40  degrees,  making  9,905  days  out  of  a  possible 
10,226  days  since  1875  (inclusive),  when  the  temperature  did 
not  go  beyond  these  extremes. 

In  1903,  there  were  seven  days  above  80  degrees  and  7  days 
below  40  degrees,  making  9,919  days  out  of  a  possible  10,591 
days,  siuce  1875  (inclusive),  tiiat  the  temperature  did  not  go 
beyond  these  extremes. 

In  1904  there  were  21  days  above  80  degrees  and  one  day 
below  40  degrees,  making  10,262  days  out  of  a  possible  10,956 
days  since  1875  (inclusive),  that  the  temperature  did  not  go 
beyond  these  extremes. 

In  1905,  there  were  seven  daj^s  above  80  degrees  and  three 
days  below  40  degrees,  making  10,608  davs  out  of  a  possible 
11,321  days. 

There  is  a  difference  of  about  one  mile  an  hour  in  the  average  ■ 
hourly  velocity  of  the  wind  between  the  summer  and  the  winter 
months;  the  mean  annual  hourly  velocity  is  five  miles.  While 
the  wind  blows  from  every  point  of  the  compass  during  a  normal 
day,  the  land-breeze  is  very  light,  averaging  about  three  miles 
per  hour,  reaching  its  lowest  velocity  just  before  the  sea- 
breeze  sets  in.  The  records  show  that  there  is  an  average 
velocity  of  from  six  to  nine  miles  from  ten  a.m.  to  six  p.m. 
During  the  summer  a  velocity  of  six  miles  is  attained  at  nine 
a.m.,  increasing  to  ten  miles  at  two  ]».m.,  reaching  six  miles  at 
seven   p.m. 

The  winter  juonths  have  about  five  hours  of  uiodi  rate  wind 
beginning  shortly  after  noon.  Winds  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
miles  per  hour  occur  infrequently,  the  average  annual  number 
being  two.  Winds  of  from  thirty-one  to  forty  miles  have 
an  average  of  less  than  one  a  year.  The  highest  velocity  ever 
attained  was  forty  miles  from  the  northwest,  in  February,  1878. 

The  record  of  meteorological  observations  began  in  July, 
1849,  and  was  made  entirely  by  ofiicials  of  the  Government. 
The  Army  and  Coast  Survey  kept  up  the  record  until  the  es- 
tablishment of  this  station  by  the  Signal  Service,  Nov.  1,  1871. 
Since  this  date,  the  location  of  the  observing  office  has  been 
changed  a  number  of  times,  but  the  different  places  have  all 
been  within  a  radius  of  a  few  blocks.  The  office  is  now  in  the 
Keating  building,  corner  Fifth  and  F  streets.  The  instruments 
have  elevations  above  ground  as  follows:  thermometer  94  feet; 
rain-gage,  86  feet;   anemometer,  102  feet. 


680 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


In  the  table  below  will  be  found  the  following  data  :  "A" 
—Greatest  monthly  precipitation  and  date.  "B"— Least 
monthly  precipitation  and  date. 


Table  "A' 


Si 

0 

c 

,0 

u 

0 

^ 

^ 

ta 

S 

a 
< 


c 

3 


be 

3 


a 


Year 1895  1884  1867  1878  |  1884      1850      1865  1873  1861  1889  1905  !  1889 

Amount 7  33  9  05  7  88  2  91  2  17     0  68      129  195  159  2  12  3  38  7  71 

Table  "B" 

Year *1850  *1885  *1857  *1864  *1850  1*1852  !*1850  *1850  *1850  *1853  *1872  1900 


Amount- 


0       1  0  02 


0  01  ,     0 


0 


0 


0 


0 


0 


0 


*Also  in  other  years. 


0 


Highest  Wind  Velocity,  direction  and  date  for  each  month, 
during  the  past  33  years.     Record  began  January  1,  1873. 


Months 


January 37 

February 40 

March 37 

April 39 

May 33 

June 24 

July 30 

August 25 

September 28 

October 32 

November 33 

December 36 


Velocity    i   Direction  !  Day  and  Year 


* 

* 

1873 

se. 

13 

1878 

# 

* 

1876 

* 

* 

1877 

s 

*  7 

1905 

sw. 

11 

1886 

nw. 

2 

1881 

sw. 

3 

1900 

nw. 

7 

1881 

nw. 

29 

1877 

w 

27 

1905 

nw. 

H  2 

1887 

*  Direction  and  date  missing.    H  Also  west,  on  December  23,  1888. 

Maximum  rate  of  rainfall  from  recording  rain-gauge: 
record  since  1893;  December  28,  1896,  in  one  minute,  0.19; 
in  5  minutes,  0.32;  in  10  minutes,  0.47;  in  1  hour,  0.79. 


PRECIPITATION 


681 


Number  of  days  with  one  hour  or  more  of  fog,  and  num- 
ber of  thunder-storms  in  20  years.  Record  began  January 
1,  1886. 


Total  number  of 
foggy  days 

Average 

Total  number  of 

thunderstorms. 

Average 


33 

30 

13 

24 

4 

8 

10 

8 

30 

53 

33 

13 

1 

1 

1 

1 

0 

0 

1 

0 

2 

3 

2 

1 

2 

4 

10 

6 

4 

1 

3 

6 

2 

6 

2 

3 

0 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

259 
13 

50 
2 


Total  number  of  days  on  which  precipitation   has   fallen 
since  November  1,  1871. 


3 
C 

1-5 


>. 

u 

<A 

r3 

— 

fll 

^ 

u 

tu 

.3 

a 

ca 

3 

fe 

§ 

<! 

s 

3 
>>   I     tt 

1-5   ;   < 


u 

^ 

E 

?! 

E 

E 

-*•* 

o 

? 

C) 

a 

s 

> 

u 

<i) 

<j 

V 

03 

o 

:z; 

» 

Less  than  0.01 23  26  49  25     51  20     13      19     19     26     19     26 

0.01  to  0.10 83  84  93  70     95  31 

0.11  to  0.25 34  40  40  39      12       3 

0.26  to  0.50 41  41  51  20       9       0 

0.51  to  1.00 22  28  23  11       5       0 

Over  1.00  inch 15  13  6  12       0 


6  10  15  46  49  75 

1  1  3  25  24  38 

0  2  2  3  18  31 

1  0  0  4  12  25 
1  0  0  1  3  14 


No  snow  is  reported  to  have  fallen  at  San  Diego  since  the 
beginning  of  the  record  of  observations  in  1850. 


Dates  when  precipitation  equalled  or  exceeded  2.50  inches 
in  any  consecutive  24  hours. — Local  time. 


December  4th,  1873,  10  p.  m.  3d,  during  night  4th 2.52  inches 

November  9th,  1879,  during  a.  m.  9th,  to8:10  p.  m.  9th 2.75  inches 

December  27th,  1879,  6  a.  m.  to  6  a.  m.  December  28th 2.55  inches 


682  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

CLIMATOLOGY  OF  SAN  DIEGO,  CALIFORNIA 

By  FORD  A.  CARPENTER,  Local  Forecaster,  Weather  Bureau 

Monthly  mean  temperatures  for  a  period  of  fifty-four  years. 


Year 


J3 

o 

c 

1-5 

,6 

0) 

1852 
1853 
1854, 
1855, 
1856, 
1857. 
1858. 
1859. 
1860. 
1861. 
1862. 
1863. 
1864. 
1865. 
1866. 
1867. 
1868. 
1869. 
1870. 
1871. 
1872. 
1873. 
1874. 
1875. 
1876. 
1877. 
1878. 
1879. 
1880. 
1881 . 
1882. 
1883. 
1884. 
1885. 
1886. 
1887. 
1888. 
1889. 
1890. 
1891. 
1892. 
1893. 
1893. 
1894. 
1895. 
1896. 
1897. 
1898. 
1899. 
1900. 
1901. 
1902. 
1903. 
1904 . 
1905. 
1906. 


53.1 
53.8 
54.2 
52.6 
51.0 
52.4! 

51.2: 

54.5 
51.4 
51.4 
55.6' 
52.8: 
56.0 
55.6! 
54.5! 
55.2 
54.5 
56.6 
55.6| 
53.51 
52.7! 
56.7 
64.7 
53.4 
51.91 
57.4; 
55.6, 

52.3: 

52.5 

52.8' 

50.4 

53.4 

55.0 

54.0 

55.9 

54.31 

51.61 

54.8 

51.0 

54.6 

55.1 

57.4 

57.4 

49.0 

53.2 

5.55 

55.8 

50.8; 

5.55 

57.8 

56.2, 

56. 4  j 

56.8 

55.7 

58. l! 

54.6! 


53.0 

55.0 

56.2 

53. p 

53.6 

56.0 

54.8 

53.9 

56.5 

51.8 

52.8 

56.2 

54.7 

57.0 

53.2 

56.5 

55.6 

57.5 

52.2 

55.2 

53.3 

52.6 

54.6 

55.9 

57.9 

56.0 

54.8 

50.8 

55.7 

51.2 

53.9 

55.9 

55.4 

58.5 

52  9 

54.9 

58.0 

54.3  ■ 

53.3 

,55.0! 

54.4 

54.4 

50.5 

55.8: 

57.7 

54.7i 

55.2 

53.4 

57.6 

57.5 

54.8 

52.2 

54.6 

59.0 

58.0! 


55.0 
57.7 
56.4 
58.4 
56.2 
58.8 
55.1 
55.3 
59.0 
57.7 
56.8 
59.9 
58.5 
57.8 
57.9 
55.4 
57.4. 
59.8 
56.3 
56.7 
56.4 

.56.7: 

52.6, 

55.0 

.54.9 

58.9, 

56.7 

57.9' 

.52.1 

.54.3 

.^)5.1 

57.4 

56.5 

59.6 

.55.0 

57.2 

55.8 

59.2 

56.4! 

56. 9| 

.56.0 

54.2' 

54.2: 

52.6 
55.4, 
58.2 
54.2 
54.5 
56.4 
59.2 
60.0 
54.8, 
57.6' 
56.5 
59.6 
57.8! 


p. 


57,6 

62.6 

63.3 

62.3 

60.0 

62.6 

57.8 

.56.2 

60.4 

63.8 

59.4 

61.0 

61.8 

.59.8 

62.7 

61.7 

61.3 

62.1 

58.8 

57.7 

56.0 

58.0 

56.2 

57.8 

59.0 

58.3 

58.1 

58.1 

56.3 

60.8 

56.6 

57.4 

57.6 

62.0 

57.2I 

59.0 

60.8 

60.4 

58.6 

58.2 

57.8 

57.5 

57.5 

56.4 

57.8 

56.5 

59.8 

59.1 

,58.2 

,56.8 

57.4 

57.2 

,58.4 

.58.9 

59.1 

58.2 


>> 
rt 

§ 


c 

►-5 

3 
1-J 

P. 

0) 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec, 

3 
C 
P 
< 


61.2 

63.3 

60.7 

64.0 

61.0 

64.4' 

62.S' 

60.11 

61.9 

65.7 

62.7 

62.6 

65.2 

64.3 

60.5 

63.6 

62.3 

62.2 

61.4 

63.6 

60.4 

00.0 

60.5 

62.6 

60.9 

60.3 

61.5 

60.1 

60.6' 

62.31 

61.9! 

60.6* 

61.4 

63.3 

00.4 

62.1 

61.2 

60.8 

60.4 

60.8 

61.0 

60.1 

60.1 1 

.58.6; 

61.9 
62.0 
60.9, 
.58.8 
.57.7, 
60.9 
60.0 
60.2 
60.5 
60.5 
59.9 
60.0 


67.1 

68.4 

64.1 

68.8 

68.6 

69.1 

66.5 

67.0 

64.5 

67.6 

68.2 

64.6 

69.0 

65.7 

66.6 

69.1 

65.7, 

64.4, 

64.6' 

65.1 

64.9i 

62.7 

63.2 

64.6 

65.2 

66.3 

64.1 

64.11 

63.0; 

64. 1! 

64.3! 

66.6 

64.4 

64.3 

63.1 

64.6 

66.0 

64.0: 

64.1 

65.6 

62.0 

63.4 

63.4 

61.4 

65.0 

64.8 

63.4 

63. c'^ 

61.4 

64.4 

62.5 

62.2 

63.2 

64.5 

62.7 


73.2 
72.8 
73.1 
70.9 
72.3 
67.3 
69.2 

69.7: 

68.8: 

73.1 

71.2' 

68.0 

69.7' 

67.7| 

69.7; 

70.5 

•69.4' 

68.8 

68.3 

71.4 

66.6 

67.0 

()8.3 

68.3 

68.3 

68.4 

66.8' 

65.7' 

63.41 

67.2i 

66.7 

68.7' 

68.4' 

67.6 

67.1 

66.5 

68.4 

67.6 

6S.5; 

09.9 
64.9, 
67.4 
67.4 
64.8 

65.6: 

68.6 
67.0: 
66.7! 
65.6' 
67.6! 
65.6! 
65.41 
66.2' 
66.7 
65.2 


72.5 

72.9 

72.1 

72.0 

72.5 

72.8 

69.8 

68.4 

70.8 

72.3 

72.9 

68.1 

75.1 

71.8 

73.1 

74.5 

74.1 

70.3 

70.5 

72.1 

68.9 

69.0 

68,1 

71.2 

68.8 

68.4 

68.3 

68.6 

65.8 

68.2 

70.2 

68.9 

69.5 

71.8 

70.5 

66.2 

69.2 

70.8 

69.S 

72.4 

67.8 

70.0 

70.0 

67.0 

61.7 

69.4 

69.9 

70.6 

65.8 

66.2 

68.2 

66.8 

68.4 

71.0 

67.4 


73.6 

70.7 

66.7 

68.3 

68.8 

68.4 

69.6 

66.6! 

69.1 

69.3 

69.4' 

68.9 

69.2 

68.2 

69.6 

71.7 

72.2 

68.3 

66.9 

68.3 

66.0 

67.7 

65.7, 

67.7 

66.3 

68.0 

67.3' 

66.6 

63.1 

66.7' 

66.8 

69.7' 

65.1 

68.0' 

66.6 

65.7: 

69.7 

70.2 

69. 1: 

70.2! 

65.4: 

64.6 

64.6 

65.9 

67.4: 

66.7 
68.1 
68.5,' 
65.5' 
65.6; 
64.8! 
66. 2I 
67.91 
70.2 
66.4 


65.0 
68.8 
64.0 
66.6 
61.6 
63.9 
63.5 
65.1 
63.6 
64.6! 
65.8' 
65.7! 
64.6 
65.2 
65.0 
64.0 
66.1 

66.3: 

63.6 

65.6 

62.5! 

62.0 

63.2 

67.2 

64.6 

63.9 

62.0 

62.6; 

61.2' 

61.5' 

62.0 

61.7 

61.3 

63.9 

.59.7: 

64.5, 

65.01 

65.4! 

64.61 

63.81 

62.7 

62.7 

62.7 

62.8 

64.4 

64.2' 

62.4; 

62.3, 

62.7 

63.1 

62.8! 

62.6' 

63.5 

66.8 

63.8 


57.3 
60.4 

58.7 

56.4 

.56.2 

57.2 

.58.6 

60.1 

56.9 

59.8' 

60.4 

59.0 

59.1 

62.1 

60.4 

63.2 

62.1 

61.1 

.59.4 

.58.3 

.59.4 

60.3 

56.7 

60.3 

59.4 

60.6 

57.5' 

56.2! 

56.2 

56.8; 

57.0! 

58.7 

58.6 

.59.6 

56.0: 

59.2; 

.59.9 

62.O1 

63.81 

59.21 

60.91 

57.6' 

57.6; 

57.1' 

59.4, 

59.7 

60.2 

59.4! 

60.8 

64.6 

60.8' 

58.3 

61.6; 

64.2 

59.2 


51.9! 

.56.2 

.55.5 

52.4 

.50.0 

51.8 

53.1 

.55.3 

55.2 

58.1 

55.4, 

.55.8 

56.5: 

.52.2 

.58.6 

63.3 

55.4 

.50.6 

51.4 

.56.8 

55.4 

.54.3 

53.3 

56.9 

56.8 

.56.8 

53.5 

53.9 

56.9 

55.0, 

55.71 

57.5! 

54.4; 

57.1, 

56.0; 

.54.6! 

,58.2 

57.41 

52.2! 

61.5, 

54.2, 

57.4 

.57.4: 

54.8; 

55.0, 

59.0' 

55.0' 

56.6! 

,58.7 

6O.4' 

57.8' 

,55.8! 

57.8: 

58. 81 

56.01 


62.0 

63.4 

62.0 

62.4 

61.0 

61.9 

61.1 

61.1 

61.3 

63.3 

62.5 

61.6 

63.4 

62.1 

63.0 

63.8 

63,1 

62.2 

61.2 

61.8 

60.4 

60.0 

.59.6 

61.6 

61.0 

62.1 

60.6 

60.1 

58.5 

00.4 

59.8 

61.2 

60.7 

62.2 

60.5 

60.6 

61.7 

62.6 

61.8 

62.0 

60.2 

60.6 

60.6 

.58.4 

60.5 

6J.9 

61.0 

60.5 

60.1 

62.0 

61.2 

60.1 

61.2 

63.2 

61.4 


PRECIPITATION 


683 


Monthly,  seasonal  and  annual  precipitation  at  San  Diego, 
California. 


< 

uary 

X. 

Ed 

3 

t.    o 

4) 

>H 

C 
0! 
1-5 

rtj    rf 

ft 

r-       >. 

fe  ^  s 

<! 

S 

5       3 

1850 

0.00 

1.13 

1.00 

0.09 

0.00  068 

0,00 

1851 

0.03 

1.51 

0.34 

0.87 

0.71  0.0] 

0,00 

1852 

0..58 

1.84 

1.87 

0.85 

0.32  0.00 

0,00 

1853 

0.50 

0.20 

1.52 

0.25 

2.10  0.05 

0,00 

1854 

0.99 

2.56 

1.88 

0.89 

0.18  0.01 

0,07 

1855 

1.97 

3.59 

1.30 

1.52 

0.06 

0.00 

0,00 

1856 

1.27 

1.86 

1.59 

2.17 

0.29 

0.00 

0,00 

1857 

0.26 

1.76 

0.00 

0.04 

0.09 

0.03 

0,00 

1858 

1.52 

0.44 

1.24 

0.17 

0.00 

0.19 

0,00 

1859 

0.00 

1.89 

0.20 

0.36 

0.17 

0.00 

0.02 

1860 

0.72 

1.49 

0.15 

0.65 

0.04 

0.05 

0,14 

1861 

0.82 

0.79 

0.05 

0.04 

0.00 

0.19 

0,00 

1862 

5..56 

1.39 

0.97 

1.05 

0.16 

0.48 

0,11 

1863 

0.32 

1.09 

0.32 

0.13 

0.02 

0.00 

0,00 

1864 

0.04 

2. .50 

0,20 

0  01 

1.25 

0.01 

0,11 

1865 

1.2S 

3.00 

0,00 

0.56 

0.00 

0.07 

1,29| 

1866 

5.05 

3.43 

1.47 

0.11 

0.09 

0.00 

0,00 

1867 

2.32 

0.85 

7.88 

0.48 

0,04 

0.00 

0,00 

1868 

3.37 

1.63 

0.73 

1.20 

0,15 

0.00 

0,51 

1869 

2.88 

1.88 

1.98 

0.53 

0,33 

0.00 

0.05 

1870 

0.54 

0.77 

0.33 

0.20 

0,28 

0.00 

0,04; 

1871 

0.52 

1.35 

0.01 

0.70 

0,34 

0.00 

0,00' 

1872 

0.99 

2.63 

0.46 

0.26 

0,12 

0,00 

0,00, 

1873 

0.44 

4.15 

0.11 

0.10 

0,03 

0,00 

0,00: 

1874 

3.11 

3.73 

1.20 

0.34 

0,.34 

0,00 

0,12, 

1875 

2.38 

0.37 

0.45 

0.12 

0.20 

0,02 

o,oo! 

1876 

2.47 

2.44 

1.78 

0.06 

0.05 

0,05 

0,03' 

\iU 

1.05 

0.18 

1.44 

0.26 

0,43 

0,00 

o,ooi 

1878 

1.45 

4.83 

1.41 

2.91 

0,58 

0,16 

0,001 

1879 

3.54 

1.04 

0.10 

0,60 

T 

0,07 

0.00 

1880 

0.61 

1.50 

1.43 

1,34 

0,06 

0,06 

0.09! 

1881 

0..52 

0.45 

1.88 

1,35 

0,04 

0,05 

0.00 

1882 

4.53  2.55 

1.02 

0,45 

0,18 

0,07 

0.00 

1883 

1.09 

0.95 

0.41 

0,31 

1,14 

0,08 

0.00 

1884 

1.34 

9.05 

6.23 

2,84 

2,17 

0,31 

0.00 

1885 

0.35 

0.02 

0.78 

1,20 

0,61 

0,06 

T 

1886 

6.95 

1.51 

3.73 

1,95 

0,04 

0,07 

T 

1887 

0.04 

4.51 

00.2 

2,14 

0,47 

0,04 

0.01 

1888 

1.96 

1.48 

2.79 

0.10 

0,22 

0,04 

0.01 

1889 

1.72 

l.SO 

2.20 

0.19 

0,03 

0,10 

T 

1890 

2.79 

1.70 

0.41 

0.05 

0.08 

0,00 

0.00 

1891 

1.21 

4.84 

0.27 

0.76 

0,35 

0,05 

T 

1892 

1.58 

2.96 

0.96 

0.41 

1,15 

0,13 

0.00 

1893 

0.78 

0.47 

5.. 50 

0.22 

0,39 

T 

T  1 

1894 

0.29 

0.49 

1.05 

0.11 

0,09 

0,01 

o.oo: 

1895 

7.33 

0.53 

1.43 

0.11 

0,19 

0,00 

O.OOl 

1896 

1.27 

0.02 

2.89 

0.25 

0,03 

0,01 

T  1 

1897 

3.13 

2.72 

1.53 

0.02 

0,12 

T 

0.01) 

1898 

1.71 

0.06 

0.91 

0.22 

0,66 

0,02 

0.00 

1899 

2.34 

0.30 

0.85 

0.29 

0,10 

0,27 

0.00 

1900 

0.69 

0.03 

0.53 

1.26 

1,45 

0,08 

0.00 

1901 

2.08 

4.77 

1.07 

0.01 

0.77 

0,02 

T 

1902 

1.70 

1.57 

1.86 

0.21 

0.06 

T 

0.92 

1903 

0,69 

2,27 

1.17 

1.40 

0.14 

T 

0.00 

1904 

0.04 

1.-50 

2.17 

0.15 

0.12 

0,00 

0,00 

1905 

2.16 

5.90 

2.98 

0.30 

0.35 

T 

0,16 

1906 

0  98 

2.62 

4.68 

0.9S 

0.72 

3 
< 


0.00 
0,00 
0,40 
0,21 
1 ,36 
0,04 
0,00 
0.02 
00,4 
0,00 1 

O.oo; 

00.  o' 
o.ool 

0,00 
0,00 
0,00 
0,10 
0,.30 

0,00; 
o.oo! 

0.07 
0.00 
0.18 
1.95 
0.00 
0,21 
0,06 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.32 
0.01 

T 
0.00 

T 
0.13 

T 

T 

T 
0.04 

T 
0.00 
0.05 
0.00 
0.04 
0.00 
0.13 

T 
0.00 
0.07 

T 

T 

T 

T 

T 
0.00 


a 


0) 

O 


0.00 
0.02 
0.00 
0.00 
0.09 
0.00 
0.07 
0.01 
0.10 
0.00 
0.00 
1..59 
0.00 
0.3C) 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.05 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.11 
0.39 
0.03 
0  00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.04 
0.01 
0.00 
0.07 

T 
0.00 

T 
0.04 

T 
0.65 
0.08 

T 
0.00 
0.01 
0.01 

T 

T 
0.07 
0.00 

1" 
0.06 

T 

T 

T 
0.50 


0.19 
0.01 
0.06 
0.00 
0.27 
0.11 
0.00 
0.49 
0.47 
0.18 
0.00 
0.05 
0.89 
0.00 
0.04 
0.02 
0.00 
0.34 
0.00 
0.05 
1.54 
0.00 
0.00 
0.00 
0.53 
0,00 
0.08 
0,81 
0,96 
0,29 
0,53 
0,24 
0,41 
2,01 
0,35 
0,31 
0,05 

T 
0,26 
2,12 
0.01 
0,04 
0,22 
0,11 

T 
0,27, 
0,97 
1,06 
0,00 
0.35 
0,30 
0,28 
0,06 
0,07 
0.17 
0.25 


E 

> 
O 

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HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Greatest  precipitation  in  24  hours  for  each  month. 


Year 


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187f> .  . 
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1879 ,  . 
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0.64 
0.67 
0.00 
0.20 
0.20 
0.18 
0.06 
0.04 
0.10 
0.87 


0.00 

0.53 

1.12 

0.54 

2.52 

2.52 

0  31 

0.55 

1.35 

0.52 

0.32 

0.95 

0  03 

0.10 

1.53 

0  06 

1.09 

1.09 

0.00 

0.58 

1.11 

2.75 

2.15 

2.75 

0.17 

1.29 

1.29 

0  07 

0.19 

0.83 

0.31 

0.11 

2.49 

0  20 

0.63 

1.82 

0  10 

1.66 

1.89 

0.59 

0.48 

0.80 

0  74 

0.06 

1.76 

1.80 

0.74 

1.96 

0  60 

1.04 

1.25 

0  08 

2.31 

2.31 

0  72 

1.23 

1.32 

0.09 

0.69 

1.35 

0  82 

0.43 

1.25 

081 

0.74 

2.00 

0.00 

0.59 

0.65 

0.46 

0.15 

2.15 

OSS 

1.10 

1.32 

0  02 

O.W 

1.62 

0.11 

0.71 

0.71 

0  42 

0.54 

1.33 

0.52 

0.00 

1.35 

0  37 

0.01 

2. .39 

0.98 

1.7b 

1.76 

T 

0.33 

1.05 

0.00 

!    1.43 

1.43 

.169 

0.2C 

1.74 

CHAPTER  II 
SAN   DIEGO   BAY,    HARBOR  AND  RIVER 

>j  HE  advantages  of  San  Dieoo's  remarkal)le 
harbor  have  been  appreciated  by  a  few  wise 
spirits  from  the  days  of  its  earliest  discov- 
ery. Father  Serra  writes  of  it  as  "truly  a 
fine  one,  and  with  reason  famous."  The 
wise  Goethe  understood  the  strategic  situa- 
tion of  the  port  with  reference  to  the  Pan- 
ama Canal  and  the  inevitable  expansion  of 
the  United  States.     In  1827,  he  said  in  conversation: 

But  I  should  wonder  if  the  United  States  were  to  let  an  oppor- 
tunity escape  of  getting  such  work  [the  construction  of  a  canal] 
into  their  own  hands.  It  may  be  foreseen  that  this  young  state, 
with  its  decided  predilection  for  the  West,  will  within  thirty  or 
forty  years,  have  occupied  and  peopled  the  large  tract  of  land 
beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  may,  furthermore,  be  foreseen 
that  along  the  whole  coast  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  where  nature 
has  already  formed  the  most  capacious  and  secure  harbors,  im- 
portant commercial  towns  will  gradually  arise,  for  the  further- 
ance of  a  great  intercourse  between  China  and  the  East  Indies 
and    the   Fnitod    States. 

Professor  George  Davidson,  of  the  United  States  Coast  Sur- 
vey, wrote  of  San  Diego  Bay  as  follows,  and  has  since  repeated 
and  emphasized  his  opinion:  "Next  to  that  of  San  Francisco, 
no  harbor  on  the  Pacific  Coast  of  the  United  States  approxi- 
mates in  excellence  the  Bay  of  San  Diego.  The  bottom  is  uni- 
formly good;  no  rocks  have  been  discovered  in  the  bay  or 
approaches ;  the  position  of  the  bay  with  relation  to  the  coast, 
and  of  the  bar  with  relation  to  Point  Loma,  is  such  that  there 
is  rarely  much  swell  on  the  bar;  as  a  rule,  there  is  much  less 
swell  on  this  bar  than  on  any  other  bar  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
There  is  less  rain,  fog,  and  thick  haze,  and  more  clear  weather 
in  this  vicinity  than  at  all  ]ioints  to  the  northward,  and  the 
entrance  is  less  difficult  to  make  and  enter  on  that  account. 
Large  vessels  can  go  about  seven  miles  (geographical)  up  the 
bay,  with  an  average  width  of  channel  of  800  yards  between  the 
four  fathom  lines  at  low  water.  This  indicates  sufficient  capac- 
ity to  accommodate  a  large  commerce." 

Commodore  C.  P.  Patterson,  supei'intendent  of  the  I"^nited 
States  Coast  Survey,  says:     "The  deptli  ovci-  the  bar  (at  low 


688  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

water)  is  22  feet.  The  bar  remains  in  a  remarkably  permanent 
state.  The  distance  across  the  bar,  from  an  outside  depth  of 
27  feet  to  the  same  depth  inside,  is  285  yards,  so  that  the 
removal  of  about  60,000  yards  of  material  would  give  a  channel 
of  300  feet  wide  and  28%  feet  deep  over  the  bar  at  mean  low 
water.  I  have  crossed  this  bar  at  all  hours,  both  day  and  night, 
with  steamers  of  from  1.000  to  3,000  tons  burden,  during  all 
seasons,  for  several  years,  without  any  detention  whatever. 
Ample  accommodations  can  be  had  in  this  harbor  for  a  very 
large  commerce.  There  is  no  safer  harbor  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
for  entering  or  leaving,  or  for  vessels  lying  off  wharves.  It  is 
the  only  land-locked  harbor  south  of  San  Francisco  and  north 
of  San.  Quentin,  Lower  California,  a  stretch  of  600  miles  of 
coast,  and,  from  a  national  point  of  view,  its  importance  is  so 
great  that  its  preservation  demands  national  protection  and  jus- 
tifies national  expenditure.  Fortunately,  these  expenditures 
need  not  be  great,  if  the  stable  regimen  of  the  harbor  be 
l^reserved, ' ' 

During  a  storm  in  February,  1878,  Avhen  the  wind  reached 
the  highest  point  ever  registered  at  San  Diego,  the  United  States 
Coast  Survey  steamer  Hasshr  lay  directly  upon  the  bar  taking 
soundings  and  surveying  the  harbor.  During  that  same  storm 
the  Orizaba  was  obliged  to  pass  by  every  stopping  place  between 
San  Diego  and  San  Francisco,  and  to  lie  off  the  latter  port 
three  days  before  attempting  to  cross  the  bar.  It  is  not  uncom- 
mon to  see  large  full-rigged  ships  sailing  into  San  Diego  har- 
bor and  tying  up  to  the  wharf  without  a  pilot. 

Admiral  Ossipee.  who  was  here  in  1870,  was  of  the  opinion 
that  San  Diego  harbor  is  "amply  capacious  to  accommodate 
twice  the  present  commerce  of  the  Pacific  Coast." 

Lieutenant  A.  B.  Gray,  one  of  the  first  to  appreciate  its  capac- 
ity and  advantages,  said  of  it: 

In  1782  it  was  surveyed  by  Don  Juan  Pantoja,  second  pilot 
or  navigator  of  the  Spanish  fleet.  In  the  summer  of  1849  the 
shore  line  was  accurately  measured  and  triangulated  under  the 
direction  of  Hon.  John  B.  Weller,  United  States  Commissioner, 
in  connection  with  the  initial  point  of  the  Mexican  boundary; 
and  in  the  spring  of  1850,  while  encamped  there  awaiting  in- 
structions from  Washington,  I  sounded  the  harbor  thoroughly; 
and  in  conjunction  with  the  ofiicers  of  the  U.  S.  Steamer 
Massachusetts,  extended  the  soundings  into  deep  water.  .  .  . 
In  1851-2  it  was  again  surveyed  and  sounded  by  the  United 
States  Coast  Survey.  From  the  results  of  the  three  examina- 
tions, it  appears  that  the  conformation  of  the  shore  line  was 
very  little  if  any  changed;  and  the  soundings  are  identically 
the  same.  The  average  rise  and  fall  of  tide  is  6^4  feet,  and 
six  fathoms  at  low  water  is  carried  in  over  the  bar,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  miles  up  the  bay;  when  five,  four  and  three 
fathoms  are  extended  for  seven  miles  further.     The  channel  of 


ADVANTAGES  OF  THE  HARBOR      689 

deep  water  is  half  a  mile  wide  for  over  eiglit  miles;  at  one 
place  a  little  less  (near  the  entranco).  On  eitlier  side  of  the 
four  fathom  curve,  which  is  distinctly  marked,  the  bank  being 
very  precipitous,  are  flats  having  from  one  to  three  fathoms, 
generally  averaging  two  fathoms,  and  at  one  l)end  of  the  bay 
nearly  two  miles  broad.  Xo  diflicidty  is  ex])erien('ed  in  getting 
into  the  harbor  day  or  night,  with  a  chart  or  pilot;  the  wind 
from  any  quarter.  For  nine  months  of  the  year  the  prevailing 
winds  are  from  the  northwest,  and  during  tlie  months  of  Novem- 
ber, December  and  January  the  south-easters  make  their  .-tp- 
pearance  on  the  coast;  occasionally  very  heavy  storms  lasting 
several  days  at  a  time;  but  when  fairly  in  the  harbor  it  is  as 
smooth  as  a  mill-pond,  and  a  vessel  will  ride  more  securely  at 
anchor  than  in  the  harbor  of  Xew  York,  so  completely  land- 
locked and  protected  from  all  gales  as  it  is.  There  are  no 
heavy  swells  upon  the  bar  and  the  channel  is  very  regular.  A 
strong  current  sets  in  and  out  of  the  harbor,  and  so  long  as  the 
tides  continue  to  ebb  and  flow,  that  long  will  the  deep  channel 
remain  the  same,  unless  by  some  sudden  disturbance  in  nature 
a  cliange  takes  ])lace  in  the  form  of  the  bay. 

It  is  simply  necessary  to  examine  a  correct  chart  of  the 
port  of  San  Diego  to  observe  at  once  its  capacity.  From  a 
residence  of  several  ^-ears  there,  and  close  observation,  I  feel 
satisfied  that  for  all  the  ocean  traflSc  of  the  Pacific,  from  the 
islands  and  the  Indies,  it  is  amply  cajjacious,  being  large 
enough  to  hold  comfortably  more  than  a  thousand  vessels  at 
a   time. 

It  is  not  because  personally  interested,  as  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  that  I  am  thus  particular  in  describing  the  harbor, 
for  its  geographical  position  w'ith  the  great  facilities  which  the 
parallel  of  32  ofl^ers  for  the  construction  of  the  Pacific  railway, 
must  in  the  event  of  such  being  accomplished,  insure  for  it 
prominency  in  a  commercial  view.  But,  it  is  because  misappre- 
hension has  been  felt  by  many  that  the  harbor  is  not  sufficiently 
capacious.  This  surmise  has  been  based  upon  statements  of 
])ersons  who  have  not  spoken  understandingly,  or  at  least 
have  not  had  correct  information.  One  in  particular,  to  which 
I  refer,  is  calculated  to  mislead,  because  of  the  high  rank  and 
position  which  the  officer  has  held.  He  of  course  had  no  in- 
tention of  misinforming,  but  must  have  formed  his  opinion 
upon  the  common  impression  existing  previous  to  the  accession 
of  California  and  without  examination.  This  idea,  of  its  loeing 
a  small  harbor,  arose  from  the  fact  of  the  very  little  or  no 
traffic  at  San  Diego  except  for  one  or  two  ships  a  year  ]nitting 
in  for  hides  and  tallow,  and  occasionally  for  water.  Inside  the 
natural  pier,  so  perfectly  formed  that  it  seems  almost  artificial, 
and  immediately  at  the  entrance  of  the  port,  was  the  common 
anchorage,  because  it  aft'orded  safety,  and  a  fine  beach  for 
drying  and  curing  hides.  There  was  no  necessity  for  vessels 
going  further,  and  so  long  liad  it  been  since  the  old  S|>anish 
fleets  visited  it,  that  no  one  thought  of  the  deep  channel  exist- 
ing to  such  an  extent  up  the  bay.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  author 
of  the  statement  referred  to,  if  at  San  Diego  at  all,  was  never 
fairly  in  the  harbor,  but  at  its  entrance  opposite  La  Playa. 
the  narrowest  part  in  eight  miles  of  five  and  six  fathoms  of 
water.  Though  this  lower  part  of  the  bay  is  perfectly  safe 
and   land-locked,   it   is   nevertheless   but   a    small    portion   of  the 


690 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


harbor,  which  may  be  said  to  have  a  shore  line  on  each  side 
of  four  leagues  at  least.  The  Spanish  fleet  anchored  seven 
miles  above  the  entrance,  and  at  a  point  "wliere  the  channel 
lies  close  to  the  shore,  -which  they  named  Punta  de  los  Muertos 
(Point  of  the  Dead),  from  burying  a  number  of  the  crew  there, 
who  had  died  from  scurvy,  contracted  on  the  voyage.  *  * 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  in  climate  it  cannot  be  sur- 
passed by  any  in  the  world,  and  for  capacity  and  safety  there 
are  few  harbors  on  either  coast  of  Noi'th  America  superior  to 
San  t)iego,  admitting  the  largest  class  ships  of  water,  and 
at   all    times. 


POINT   LOMA   AND   THE   SILVER   GATE,    SAN    DIEGO 

Showing  the  Lighthouse  on  Ballast  Point,  the  Government  Quarantine  Station  and  Marine 
Hospital  on  the  site  of  the  Hide  Houses,  La  Playa  and  the  road  to  Old  San  Diego 


The  Bay  of  San  Diecjo  is  12  miles  lono-  and  from  1  to  2  miles 
broad.  The  total  area  is  22  square  miles,  and  the  available 
anchorage  6  square  miles.  On  San  Francisco  bar  there  is  a 
depth  of  5^  fathoms ;  on  Humboldt  bar  sometimes  3  fathoms, 
but  at  other  times  not  exceedinp;  15  feet ;  on  the  Umpqua  bar, 
12  to  13  feet ;  on  the  Columbia  River  bar,  41/2  fathoms ;  on  Shoal- 
water  Bay  bar,  4%  fathoms.  All  of  these  bars  change  much, 
except  that  of  San  Francisco.  The  depth  of  water  on  the  bar 
also  compares  favorably  with  harbors  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the 
United  States.      Boston  has  al)out  18  feet;  New  York,  231/2; 


THE  HARBOR  COMMISSION  691 

Phih)dol])hia.  IS;  riuirlcstoii.  Mobile,  and  New  Orleans.  18  feet. 
The  water  frontage  available  is  almost  as  iiwni  as  that  of  New 
York  City,  and  far  greater  than  tliat  of  any  other  harbor  on 
the  Pacific  Coast. 

On  the  west,  the  l)a\-  is  protected  by  a  lon^j.  narrow  strip 
known  as  the  Coronado  Peninsula,  which  terminates  on  the 
north  in  the  townsite  of  Coronado  and  beyond  that,  next  to  the 
channel,  in  North  Island.  The  entrance' to  the  harbor  is  fur- 
ther protected  by  the  peculiar  formation  known  as  Point  Loma, 
which  is  a  high,  rocky  promontory  stretching  out  into  the  ocean 
from  a  point  opposite  Old  Town  southwesterly  and  southei-ly, 
a  distance  of  about  five  and  one-half  miles,  with  a  width  of 
from  two  and  one-half  miles  to  half  a  mile.  The  foi-mation  is 
a  crumbling  sandstone,  but  it  is  covered  with  soil  for  the  most 
part,  and  with  an  adequate  supply  of  water  the  Point  will  one 
day  be  made  a  place  of  beauty. 

The  first  board  of  harbor  commissioners  of  San  Dieii'o  con- 
sisted of  Clark  All)erti,  W.  W.  Stewart,  and  J.  11.  Barbour. 
Their  appointment  dates  from  j\Iarch  18,  1889,  and  they  met 
and  organized  o]i  May  15th.  Alberti  was  made  president ;  his 
term  was  for  four  years.  Stewart's  term  was  three  years. 
Barbour  acted  as  secretary;  his  term  was  two  years.  Harry  L. 
Titus  w^as  appointed  attorney  to  the  1)oard;  ]\I.  G.  Wheeler, 
chief  engineer;  and  Nestor  A.  Young,  chief  wharfinger. 

April  14,  1893.  D.  C.  Reed  and  C.  W.  Pauly  were  appointed. 
vice  Allierti  and  Stewart.  Pauly  resigned  on  September  14th 
following,  and  was  succeeded  l)y  W.  W.  Stewart.  The  board 
then  consisted  of  Reed,  president ;  Barbour,  secretary :  and 
Stewart. 

On  March -31,  1896.  F.  IT.  Dixon  and  N.  IT.  Conklin  became 
members,  succeeding  Barbour  and  Stevvai't,  whose  terms  had 
expired.  The  board  then  consisted  of  D.  C.  Reed,  president, 
term  expiring  December  31,  1897 ;  N.  H.  Conklin,  term  expir- 
ing June  6,  1900;  and  F.  H.  Dixon,  secretary,  term  expiring 
June  6,  1900.     The  attorney  of  the  board  was  D.  L.  AVithingtcm. 

During  1895  and  1896,  little  w^as  done,  partly  on  account  of 
the  tide  land  troubles.     The  board  say  in  Hieir  biennial  report: 

Xearly  all  the  tide  lands  adjacent  to  the  Bay  of  San  Diego 
over  whieh  the  Board  is  su]i|'OScd  to  exercise  control,  are 
claimed  by  private  parties.  Tliis  property  is  rapidly  increasing 
in  value.  Every  yc^ar  new  complications  are  arising  from  this 
disputed  ownership.  Therefore,  the  Board  anxiously  await 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  which  we  trust  will  be  ren- 
dered before  the  convening  of  the  next  coming  session  of  the 
State   Legislature. 

W.  J.  Prout  succeeded  D.  C.  Reed  in  l).-eember.  1897.  and 
served  to  June  6,  1900.     The  tide  land  troubles  contiinicd.  and 


ANNALS  OF  SAN  DIEGO  RIVER  693 

ill  llic  biemiiMl  ivpoi-t  of  the  commissioners  ((^oiiUlin.  Dixon. 
and  I'roiit).  dated  October  29,  18!)8.  they  say:  •'Sin.-,,  ih." 
pi'('sent  board  has  eome  into  office  they  have  Ix-cn  dili'-entlv 
sti'ivinii'  to  scciii-c  |H)ssessi()n  of  tlie  tide  binds  adjacent  ?o  the 
Hay  of  San  Dieyo.  ...  A  birge  portion  of  these  tide  binds 
have  been  broiiuhl  uiuh-r  our  conti'ob  and  we  arc  (•()nfi(h-nt  Unit 
ill  tile  near  future  the  decisions  of  the  courts  will  uivc  us  pos- 
session of  the  rciiiaiiider."  Conklin  was  president  and  Dixon 
secretary. 

June  20.  l!)(l().  G.  \i.  (Jrow.  (!eor<;e  M.  Ilawley  and  J.  E. 
O'Hrien  became  commissioners,  (irow  was  president.  He  died 
in  offiee  February  7.  1003;  O'Brien  and  Ilawley  served  to 
November  20.  l!)Ol.  Robert  B.  l^enton  was  ai)|)ointed  to  suc- 
ceed O'Brien  and  served  fnmi  November  20,  1901,  to  March  13, 
1903.  Charles  I*.  Douijlass  succeeded  ilawley,  serviu'-'  as  sec- 
retary from  November  20,  1901,  to  .Alarch  13,  1903.  Ilawley 
and  O'Brien  resigned  and  Benton  and  Douglass  were  appointed 
to  succeed  them.  The  biennial  report  of  Commissionei's  Grow, 
Benton,  and  Douglass  for  the  years  1900-1902  shows  no  receipts 
and  no  disbursements. 

The  present  board  consists  of  Charles  W.  Oesting,  president ; 
Capt.  W.  H.  Pringle;  and  Eugene  Del^urn,  secretary.  They 
were  appointed  j\Iarch  13,  1903.  Capt.  Pringle  is  harbor-master; 
Eugene  Daney,  attorney;  and  G.  A.  d'llemecourt.  engineer. 

Within  the  administration  of  the  present  board.  Iheir  work  has 
entered  upon  a  new  ])hase.  The  tide  lands  (juestion  was  settled 
some  years  ago  and  the  jurisdiction  of  the  board  established.  A 
number  of  franchises  have  been  granted,  and  the  importance  of 
tht^  board's  w(n'k  has  steadily  grown. 

The  San  Diego  River  rises  in  the  A^ilcan  ^rountains.  ;ibout 
sixty  miles  from  the  cit^',  and  t^ows  in  a  general  southwesterly 
course  through  the  El  Cajon  and  ex-AIission  i-anchos.  and  the 
pu(^l)]o  lands  of  San  Diego,  into  False  Bay.  At  Capitan  (irande, 
thirty-live  miles  from  its  mouth,  it  is  joined  by  a  brancli  rising 
to  the  southeast  in  the  Cuyamaca  Mountains.  It  is  also  fed  In- 
numertms  spi-iugs  along  its  course.  From  its  sources  to  Capitan 
Grande  or  a  little  farther,  the  river  flows  all  the  year  round;  but 
thence  onward,  it  sinks  into  the  sand  in  the  dry  sunnneiN.  after 
the  curious  fashion  of  California  rivers,  and  disai)pears  from 
sight.  For  this  peculiarity  it  has  been  much  lami)ooiied,  from 
the  days  of  John  Phoenix  downward;  but  the  explanation  is 
very  simple.  Above  the  point  named,  the  bed-rock  formation  is 
near  the  surface  and  keeps  the  water  in  its  visible  channel ;  while 
below,  the  rock  lies  deeper  and  the  chaiincl  is  lilled  with  liy:ht 
sand  into  which  the  water  sinks  and  continues  to  flow  under- 
ground to  the  sea.  Water  can  be  had  in  lai-ge  quantities  l)y  dig- 
ging in  its  l)ed.    For  many  years  the  city  of  San  Diego  depended 


694  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

entirely  upon  water  pumped  from  wells  in  the  river  1)ed.  near 
Old  Town.  This  peculiar  construction  forms  a  natural  filter,  and 
has  many  other  points  to  recommend  it  and  to  compensate  for 
the  disaclvantage  of  non-navigability. 

It  is  probable  that,  at  one  time,  San  Diego  ;nid  False  bays  were 
one  body  of  water,  and  Point  Loma  an  ishmd.  The  low  land 
between  Old  San  Diego  and  Point  Loma  Ix^ars  every  appearance 
of  having  been  carried  in  by  the  river.  At  the  time  the  Spanish 
settlement  at  Presidio  Hill  was  made,  the  river  was  emptying 
into  Fake  Bay,  and  it  continued  to  do  so  until  the  second  decade 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Exactly  when  it  liroke  into  San 
Diego  Bay  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  It  has  been  stated  in  this 
History,  on  the  authority  of  Bias  Aguilar.  that  it  was  in  the 
autumn  of  1821,  but  Juan  Bandini  said  it  was  in  1825  and  it 
is  frequently  so  stated.  Pio  Pico  thought  it  occurred  in  1828, 
and  this  is  su])ported  by  the  statement  of  Duhaut-Cilly  that  the 
river  was  flowing  into  False  Bay  in  1827.  However,  it  is  possi- 
ble that  both  are  correct,  since  Aguilar  stated  that  the  flow  was 
not  all  diverted  into  San  Diego  Bay.  but  was  divided;  and  we 
may  therefore  suppose  that  the  flood  in  the  fall  of  1821  marks 
the  time  when  any  part  of  the  water  first  began  to  flow  into  San 
Diego  Bay,  and  that  within  a  few  years  after  it  was  totally 
diverted  into  the  new  channel,  either  by  another  flood  or  l\v  slow 
accretions  of  sand. 

From  this  time  on.  the  river  continued  to  flow  into  San  Diego 
Bay  for  nearly  flfty  years,  with  only  one  slight  interruption, 
and  steadily  filled  up  the  shallow  waters  lying  on  the  side  toward 
Old  Town.  The  danger  to  the  harbor  was  early  recognized.  In 
1846  Emory  wrote:  ""Well  grounded  fears  are  entertained  that 
the  immense  quantity  of  sand  discharged  by  this  river  will  mate- 
rially endanger,  if  it  does  not  destroy,  the  harbor  of  San  Diego : 
but  this  evil  could  be  arrested  at  a  slight  cost,  compared  with 
the  objects  to  be  attained."  In  September.  1851.  A.  D.  Bache. 
superintendent  of  the  Coast  Survey,  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury:  "It  is  believed  .  .  .  that  unless  the  course 
of  the  river  be  changed,  the  channel  will  be  ultimately  filled, 
which  will  have  the  effect.  I  think,  of  destroying  the  bay  entirely 
as  a  harbor.  .  .  .  The  only  remedy  for  the  evil  is  to  turn 
the  river  into  False  Bay  again.  This  is  an  excellent  harbor  and 
its  loss  would  be  severely  felt."  SeA^eral  attempts  Avere  made  by 
the  people  of  San  Diego  to  turn  the  stream  by  erecting  barriers 
of  sand  and  brush,  but  they  all  proved  ineft'ectual. 

September  80.  1850.  an  ordinance  was  passed  l)y  the  city 
trustees  for  the  tnrning  of  the  San  Diego  River  by  the  construc- 
tion of  a  pile  dam  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  A  committee  of  the  coun- 
cil reported  October  10th  that  nothing  could  be  effected  toward 
turning  the  river  by  the  means  proposed,  and  the  project  was 


TURNING  THE  RIVER  695 

dropped.  The  matter  continued  to  be  stronylv  \ir«,a'd,  by  peti- 
tions, newspapers,  and  congressmen,  and  fin"ally"in' 1853  an 
appropriation  was  secured  and  Ijcntciuint  (reor^e  II.  D.-i-by  sent 
on  to  construct  a  dam. 

Derby  seems  to  have  had  correct  ideas  about  the  \va\  in  whidi 
the  work  should  be  done,  lie  proposed  to  straighten  the  chan- 
nel and  Imild  a  sul)stantial  dam,  l)nt  the  appropriation  was  too 
small  and  he  was  instructed  to  follow  the  old  winding  channel, 
merely  throwing  the  sand  out  upon  the  south  bank,  and  con- 
structing a  bulkhead  of  timber  at  the  old  river  crossing.  The 
work  was  commenced  in  September  and  completed  in  November. 
1853.  It  was  done  by  Indian  la])orers.  and  the  irrepressible 
Derby  had  a  good  deal  of  fun  while  it  was  in  progress.  It  proved 
a  good  dry  weather  dam.  l)ut  was  worthless  to  resist  a  flood.  It 
stood  for  two  years,  but  gave  way  in  1855.  and  the  i-iver  again 
flowed  unchecked  into  the  great  harbor. 

Beginning  in  1869,  several  reconnaissances  were  made  with  a 
view  to  ascertaining  the  extent  of  the  trouble  and  the  best  means 
of  remedying  it.  One  engineer  distinguished  himself  by  report- 
ing that  no  damage  was  being  done,  and  that  the  diversion  of  the 
river  into  False  Bay  w^as  not  urgently  demanded.  But  l)etter 
counsel  prevailed.  In  1875  an  appropriation  of  !|;80.000  was 
obtained  for  carrying  out  the  work,  and  in  1877  it  was  done  in 
a  thorough-going  manner.  The  channel  was  straightened,  an 
adequate  earthen  eml)ankment  constructed,,  and  a  substantial 
bulkhead  built.  These  works  have  stood  every  test,  including  the 
uiUTSual  flood  of  the  winter  of  1905-06,  and  are  undoubtedly  per- 
manent. The  failure  to  construct  them  in  a  proper  manner  was 
a  waste  of  monej'  and  a  serious  menace  to  San  Diego's  prosperity. 

False  Bay  has  never  been  navigable  within  the  memory  of  liv- 
ing men,  although  there  are  traditions  that  one  or  two  Spanish 
vt^ssels  found  their  way  into  it  at  flood  tide.  It  is  used  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  for  iiavigation  by  small  boats,  and  is  a  favorite  resort 
of  duck-hunters,  but  has  no  commercial  value. 

The  extent  of  the  damage  done  to  San  Diego  Bay  by  the  river 
is  not  as  great  as  might  have  been  anticipated.  From  Roseville 
easterly,  there  is  a  stretch  of  waters  which  were  always  rather 
shallow  and  are  now  largely  bare  at  low  tide.  Old  residents  can 
remember  sailing  boats  over  this  ground,  and  it  has  been  related 
how  the  Spanish  soldiers  navigated  a  boat  across  it,  between  Pre- 
sidio Hill  and  Fort  Guijarros.  But  it  is  now  sul)stantially  what 
it  has  always  been — marsh  land. 

The  valley  through  which  the  river  flows  after  leaving  El 
Ca.ion  is  a  remarkable  one.  It  has  a  length  of  about  six  miles, 
extending  in  almost  a  straight  coui*se  from  the  mission  to  OKI 
Town,  with  an  average  width  of  more  than  half  a  mile,  and  is 
flanked  on  north  and  south  by  steep  and  rugged  hills  risinir  to 


696  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

a  height  of  800  feet  or  luoi'e.  Through  this  vaUey  the  river 
sprawls  and  winds  its  sluggish  way,  except  at  times  of  flood, 
when  it  sometimes  fills  a  large  part  of  the  floor  of  the  valley  with 
a  turbid  stream.  The  soil  along  the  channel  of  the  river  is  sandy, 
but  is  cultivated  to  some  extent ;  a  little  higher,  on  the  mesa  lands 
at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  is  fertile  soil  on  which  lie  some  of  the 
most  comfortable  and  productive  homesteads  in  the  county.  It 
was  in  this  valley  that  a  large  i)art  of  the  agriculture  of  the 
Mission  Fathers  was  carried  on. 

The  Hoods  in  the  river  have  been  many,  and  at  times  consid- 
erable damage  was  wrought.  The  first  great  flood  of  which 
there  is  any  record  occurred  in  1811;  the  second  was  in  1821 
according  to  Aguilar,  or  1825  by  other  accounts ;  the  third  took 
place  in  the  winter  of  1839-10;  the  fourth  in  1855;  the  tifth  in 
1857 ;  the  sixth  in  1862 ;  and  the  seventh  in  the  past  winter  of 
1905-06.  Some  particulars  of  these  earlier  floods  have  been  given. 
The  most  recent  overflow  is  fresh  in  the  i)ublic  mind,  when 
farms  were  flooded  in  ^fission  Valley  whicli  had  not  been  over- 
flowed for  many  years.  The  emliankment  at  the  north  end  of 
the  Old  Town  bridge  was  Avashed  away  and  the  river  changed 
its  channel  at  that  point  and  began  flowing  several  yards  far- 
ther north.  It  was  only  by  the  most  energetic  work  that  the 
bridge  was  saved  and  the  river  restored  to  its  old  channel.  In 
many  other  places,  the  channel  was  completely  changed.  The 
water  continued  to  flow  visibly,  in  a  considerable  stream,  to  the 
ocean  until  late  in  the  summer  of  1906 — a  most  unusual 
phenomenon. 


^ 


HENRY   DAGGETT 
of  Daggett's  Drug  Store. 


E.   WINEBURGH 
Manager  of  the  Hub  Clothing  Company. 


LAURENCE   P.  SVVAYNE 
Member  Park  Commission. 


GEORGE   BURNHAM 
Of  Scott-Burnham  Investment  Company 


FRED   A.  HEILBRON 

One  of  the  leading  young  business  men 
of  the  city. 


f 


-f 


A.  C.  RIORDON 
President  Imperial  Realty  Company. 


GEORGE   F.  OTTO 
A  leading  florist. 


CllAPTKK   111 


GOVERNMENTAL  ACTIVITIES 


ITII  llic  Mexican  War  San  Diego  l)eeanie  an 
iiiii»()rtant  niilitaiy  station  and  eonsidcraljle 
improvement  has  l)een  made,  fi-om  time  to 
time,  of  its  natnral  advantages  as  a  harbor  of 
refuge  and  defense.  Troops  were  (juartered  in 
the  Old  ^Mission  for  al)ont  ten  years  aftei-  tlie 
Mexican  War.  The  (juai'termaster's  depart- 
ment was  estahlislied  at  New  San  Dieuo  in 
1S.)()-1.  Among  well  known  ;ii-my  officers  stationed  here  in  early 
days  were  the  following: 

Colonel  John  l^ankhead  Magnider.  abont  whom  many  stories 
are  told.  He  was  a.  strict  discii)linai'ian  when  acting  "olticiallv 
and  was  sometimes  called  "Bully"  ]\Iagruder;  bnl  he  was  also 
convivial  and  drank  deep  with  Lieutenant  Derby  and  other  con- 
genial comrades.  When  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  he  became  a 
somewhat  noted  cavalry  commander  on  the  Confederate  side. 

Captain  Nathaniel  Lyon.  Avho  was  mnch  beloved  in  San  Diego. 
He  gave  the  tirst  ball  ever  held  in  the  old  barracks,  and  owned 
one  of  the  tirst  houses  in  New  San  Diego.  He  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  in  Missouri,  early  in  the  Civil  War. 

Lieutenant  George  Stoneman.  later  a  general  in  the  Union 
army  and  governor  of  California:  Captain  Edward  O.  C.  Ord. 
later  a  T^nion  general;  [NFajoi-  William  11.  Emory,  who  came  with 
Kearny's  expedition  in  December,  1846,  and  was  later  a  I'nion 
general;  Captain  John  F.  Reynolds,  who  became  a  I'nion 
general  and  was  killed  at  Gettyslnirg;  Lieutenant  George  L. 
Andrews,  whom  Derby  called  "that  mad  wag,"  and  who  was 
t)n  the  staff  of  General  Canby  at  Mobile;  Lieutenant  Adam  J. 
Slemmer,  the  hero  of  Fort  Pickens  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
War,  who  became  a  Union  general,  and  lost  a  leg  at  the  battle  of 
Stone  River  (married  a  daughter  of  the  Rev.  John  Reynolds')  : 
Lieutenant  (afterward  General)  John  S.  Mason;  Lieutenant 
Francis  E.  Patterson,  who  died  a  general  in  Virginia ;  ^Ma.jor 
Lewis  A.  Armistead,  later  a  general  in  the  Confederate  army. 
who  was  killed  at  Gettysburg;  Colonel  Frederick  Steele,  later  a 
general;  Lieutenant  George  B.  Dandy,  afterward  a  general  and 
stationed  at  different  points  on  the  Pacific  Coast  as  quartermas- 
ter; Colonel  (then  Lieutenant)  Hamilton:  Lieutenant  Murray. 
who  became  a  Confederate  colonel  and  was  severely  wounch^l  at 


698 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


the  lirst  battle  of  Bull  Run;  ^lajor  George  II.  Ringgold;  Major 
Edward  II.  Fitzgerald,  who  led  "the  Fitzgerald  Volunteers"  in 
the  Garra  Insurrection  of  1851 ;  Major  Justus  ]\IcKinstry ;  Cap- 
tain Foster;  Captain  Kellogg;  Captain  AVinder;  Captain  Edward 
B.  Williston ;  Doctor  John  S.  Griftiu,  of  San  Pasqual  fame,  who 
later  lived  at  Los  Angeles ;  Surgeons  Hammond,  Keeney,  Edgar ; 
and  many  more. 

The  details  of  military  life  and  activities  in  and  around  San 
Diego  are  somewhat  l)eside  the  scope  of  this  l)(M)k.     In  a  general 


ivitf#il  «*'*  "*  I  fS-^ririJI 


QUARANTINE   STATION   AND    MARINE   HOSPITAL   AT    LA   PLAYA,    SITE 

OF   HIDE    HOUSES 


way,  a  military  post  and  quartermaster's  depot  were  maintained 
from  the  dates  named.  It  was  also  for  a  time  made  a  depot  of 
military  supplies  for  a  large  number  of  frontier  army  posts. 
The  post  at  Fort  Yuma  was  for  a  time  supplied  from  San  Fran- 
cisco by  small  steamers  which  ran  up  the  Gulf  of  California,  but 
in  1851  a  line  of  pack  trains  across  the  desert  was  successfully 
estal)lished  by  AVilliam  II.  Hilton,  who  carried  the  sui^plies  from 
San  Diego  to  Yuma  for  some  time,  under  contract.  ^Ir.  Hilton 
is  still  living,  in  Berkeley.    Later,  a  military  road  and  telegraph 


MILITARY  RESERVATION 


(599 


across  the  desert  were  constructed  nnd  played  an  impoi-tant  part 
m  tlie  life  of  the  Southwest.  In  hiter  yejirs,  the  niililary  activ- 
ities in  and  around  San  Diego  luive  had  reference  eliiellv  to  the 
construction  of  the  harbor  fortifications,  iniin-ovenient"  of  the 
reservation,  etc. 

The  necessity  for  a  military  reservation  <.n  I'oint  Lonia  was 
recognized  ])y  the  officers  of  the  United  States  Army  immediately 
upon  taking  possession  of  the  country.  In  a  report  to  tlie  Sec- 
retary of  War  dated  at  Monterey,  IMa'rch  1,  1849,  General  Henry 


LIGHTHOUSE   ON   BALLAST   POINT,    SAN   DIEGO 
Site  of  the  old  Spanish  fort:  Point  Loma  in  the  background 


W.  Ilalleck  wrote,  referring  to  a  military  reconnaissance  ordered 
b}-  General  Kearny  in  1847 : 

"The  most  southern  point  in  Upper  California  here  recom- 
mended for  occupation  by  permanent  works  of  defense,  is  the 
entrance  to  the  Bay  of  San  Diego.  On  the  north  side  of  this 
entrance,  which  is  probably  the  most  favorable  position  for  works 
of  military  defense,  are  the  remains  of  old  Fort  Gui.jarros,  Imilt 
by  the  Spaniards  some  seventy  years  ago.  This  foi-t.  though 
never  of  much  value  in  itself,  was  occupied  nearly  up  to  the 


700 


HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 


time  the  United  States  took  possession  of  the  country,  and  all 
the  grounil  in  the  vicinity  is  still  regarded  as  public  proixn'ty." 
The  military  reservation  was  made  by  executive  order  dated 
February  26,  1852.  The  land  included  was  i)i'actic;illy  all  un- 
granted  by  the  Sau  Diego  city  trustees.  In  the  patent  which 
was  issued  to  the  city  for  its  pueblo  lands,  this  reservation  was 
excluded,  which  left  the  title  vested  in  the  Fnited  States  under 
the  treaty  of  (jruadalui)e  Hidalgo.  This  fact  was  not  clearly 
understood  in  (^ai'ly  days,  even  by  some  government  officials.    As 


OLD   GOVERNMENT   BARRACKS 


late  as  1867,  the  chief  of  the  government  board  of  engineers  for 
the  Pacific  Coast  applied  to  the  trustees  of  the  city  of  Sau  Diego 
for  a  grant  of  land  as  a  military  reservation  on  Point  Loma. 
Xothing  came  of  this,  but  it  shows  the  lack  of  information  regard- 
ing the  source  of  the  government's  title  to  its  military  reserva- 
tion on  Point  Loma. 

The  reservation  includes  all  the  outer  end  of  the  Point  Loma 
peninsula,  to  a  line  running  east  and  west  through  the  center 
of  La  Playa.  It  forms  a  strip  of  land  about  two  miles  wide  at 
the  widest  and  about  three  miles  long.  Possession  was  taken 
Februai'v  28.  1870.     Th(^  works  were  beG'un  on  Ballast  Point  in 


HARBOR  FORTIFICATIONS  701 

May,  1873.  jiirI  have  been  carried  on  siiifc  Work  on  the  pres- 
ent fortifications  began  Jnne  il,  18!)7.  The  barracks,  officers' 
qnarters,  depots,  etc.,  are  bnilt  along  the  niilitai-v  r.)ad\va\  h-ad- 
mg-  southerly  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  peninsida.  Tin'  sitna- 
tion  ]s  a  healthful  and  romantic  one,  and  the  fortifications  are 
ca])able  of  being  made  very  strong.  The  defensive  works  are 
known  as  Fort  Rosecrans.  They  were  first  uai-risom-d  l)v  '>0 
men  of  Battery  D,  3rd  U.  S.  Artillery,  under  Lientenant  ("'}  T 
Patterson,  February  20,  1898.  The  present  garrison  consists  of 
8  officers  and  194  men,  :\ra,ior  Charles  G.  Woodward,  U.  S.  A., 
commanding.  It  is  a  two  company  post.  It  is  thought' wortliv  of 
record  that  the  first  child  born  at" Fort  Rosecrans  was  the  dauirh- 
ter  of  Lieutenant  and  Mrs.  Deangly,  of  the  28th  Company,  Coast 
Artillery,  born  February  11,  1906.  The  army  officers  and  theii- 
families  have,  from  the  days  of  the  military  occupation,  fdrmcd 
an  important  part  of  the  social  life  of  San  Diego.  There  arc  also 
a  inimber  of  retired  army  officei's  who  make  it  their  home. 

In  order  to  guard  the  harbor  against  the  action  of  certain  con- 
flicting currents  caused  by  the  Zuninga  Shoal,  the  govennncnt 
in  1894  commenced  the  construction  of  a  jetty  extending  from 
a  point  on  North  Island,  opposite  Ballast  Point,  straight  south 
into,  the  ocean  a  distance  of  7,500  feet.  This  jetty  was  several 
years  under  construction,  and  is  a  notable  piece  of  engineei-imr. 
It  is  constructed  of  willow  mattresses,  sunk  between  i)ilcs  and 
weighted  down  with  rock.  Before  commencing  the  work.  18.05 
acres  of  land  on  the  island  were  acquired  by  condemnation,  and 
later  38.56  acres  more  were  purchased.  The  cost  of  the  jettv 
was  about  .t500,()()(l.  The  fort  at  this  i)lace  is  called  Fort 
Pio  Pico. 

An  automatic  tide  gauge  Avas  set  up  at  La  Playa  by  Lienten- 
ant W.  P.  Trowbridge,  assistant  in  the  Coast  Survey,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1853.  There  had  been  one  tidal  obsei-ver  before  him. 
Lieutenant  Derby  writes  of  ''an  odd-looking  little  l)uilding  on 
stilts  out  in  the  water,  where  a  savant  named  Sabot,  in  the  em- 
])loy  of  the  V.  S.  Engineers,  makes  mysterious  obscM-vations  on 
the  tide."  It  was  continued  until  Sei)tember  1,  1S72.  under  the 
care  of  Andi-ew  Cassidy,  W.  Knapp  and  LI.  E.  Urlandt  in  suc- 
cession. Cassidy  served  seventeen  years.  A  lu^w  gauge  was 
established  at  the  Quarantine  Station  in  .Jaiuuiry.  1906.  by 
Assistant  B.  A.  Baird.    The  present  observer  is  John  A.  AVatkins. 

The  old  lighthouse  on  Point  Loma  is  a  somewhat  noted  land- 
mark. There  was  long  a  tradition  that  it  was  the  highest  liudit- 
liouse  in  the  world,  but  this  is  an  erroi-.  Its  elevation  is  492  fe<'t, 
and  there  are  others  nnich  higher,  some  having  uku-c  than  twice 
its  elevation.  Work  upon  it  was  begun  in  1851.  when  ihe  mem- 
bers of  the  Coast  Survey  selected  the  site.  The  lantern  was  first 
lighted  on  November  15,  1855.      Experience  sliowed  that  occa- 


702  HISTORY   OF   SAN   DIEGO 

sional  fogs  obscured  the  light,  and  in  the  70 's  a  new  lighthouse 
was  eonstnicted  at  the  southerly  extremity  of  Point  Loma,  and 
early  in  the  80 's  another  one  on  the  extremity  of  Ballast  Point 
at  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  Both  these  lights  are  at  the 
water's  edge  and  free  from  the  objections  to  the  old  situation. 
There  is  also  a  fog  bell  on  Ballast  Point,  which  it  is  necessary  to 
use  but  little.  The  channel  was  not  buoyed  until  October,  1875, 
when  piles  were  driven  and  beacons  placed  upon  them. 

The  first  lighthouse  keeper  was  named  Keating.  Joseph  Reiner 
served  for  a  time  in  the  50 's.  From  1865  to  1868  the  keeper  was 
Wm.  C.  Price.  John  D.  Jenkins  served  in  1869,  and  after  him 
Fnos  A.  Wall  was  in  charge  for  a  short  time.  Robert  D.  Israel 
became  keeper  June  14,  1871,  and  served  until  January  6,  1892 
— almost  twenty-one  years,  fie  was  succeeded  by  George  P. 
Brennan.  The  present  keeper  of  the  Point  Loma  lighthouse  is 
Richard  Weis  ;  of  the  lighthouse  on  Ballast  Point,  David  Splaine. 

The  Quarantine  Station  at  La  Playa  was  established  in  1888, 
and  work  upon  the  buildings  was  begun  in  1891.  The  Marine 
Hospital  in  connection  with  it  occupies  nearly  the  site  of  the  old 
hide  houses.  These  buildings  are  to  be  turned  over  to  the  navy 
department  and  the  site  used  as  a  coaling  station,  the  quaran- 
tine station  and  hospital  being  removed  elsewhere. 

The  United  States  Weather  Bureau,  at  first  called  the  ' '  Storm 
Signal  Office,"  was  established  at  San  Diego  late  in  October, 
1871.  by  Sergeant  J.  B.  Wells,  and  the  reports  began  a  few  days 
later.  The  station  has  recently  been  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  fore- 
cast station. 

Officials  of  the  Weather  Bureau. 

17,  1876,  J.   B.   Wells. 

29,  1877,  C.  E.  Howgate. 

4,  1879,  M.   M.   Sickler.     Eesigned. 
26,  1879,  W.  IT.  Simons. 

8,  1879,    M.    L.   Heanie. 

5,  1880,  W.  H.  Cleudersou. 
17,  1881,    William    Story. 
19,  188.3,   Asa  0.  Dobbins.    Died  in  office. 

28,  1884.   F.   R.  Dav. 

29,  1886,    -T.  C.  Sprigg,  jr. 

9,  1896,    M.  L.  Hearue.    Died  in  office. 
March  30,  1896  to  present.  Ford  A.  Carpenter. 
Present  Assistants:   Clark  Simpson  and  Dean  Blake. 

I'nder  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo.  February  2,  1848, 
San  Diego  became  a  customs  port  of  the  United  States.  The  port 
of  entry  was  aljolished  by  the  Act  of  June  2,  1862.  and  re- 
established by  Act  of  March  3.  1873.  The  first  collector  under 
the  American  military  administration  was  Miguel  de  Pedrorena. 
appointed  in  July,   1847.     The  first  collector  under  the  civil 


Oct. 

27, 

1871 

to 

Aug. 

Aug. 

17, 

1876 

to 

June 

July 

9, 

1877 

to 

April 

April 

4, 

1879 

to 

June 

.Tune 

26, 

1879 

to 

Nov. 

Xoy. 

8, 

1879 

to 

Dec. 

Dec. 

5, 

1880 

to 

Nov. 

Xoy. 

17, 

1881 

to 

Aug. 

Aug. 

29, 

1883 

to 

July 

.Tuly 

28, 

1884 

to 

Aug. 

Aug. 

29, 

1886 

to 

Marc' 

COLLECTORS  OF  THE  PORT  703 

adiiiiiiistratiou  was  Win.  (J.  Ferroll,  who  served  fi-oiii  A|»i-il  :j, 
1849,  to  1853.  From  1853  to  1857  the  eolleotor  was  ( ).  S.  With- 
erby.  March  23,  1857,  General  Jose  M.  Covarruhias,  ol'  Santa 
Barbara,  was  ai^pointed,  and  served  two  yeai-s,  when  ho  was 
removed.  Covarrnbias'  successor  was  Henry  Hancctck.  who 
served  till  .January  10,  1860.  Joshua  Sloane  followed  with  a  ti-nn 
extending-  from  April  8  to  July  27,  18(J1.  Some  of  the  stories 
told  about  his  administration  have  been  i-elated.  ('aj^tain  Mathew 
Sherman  served  from  December,  1868,  to  the  following'  May, 
when  David  B.  Hoffman  was  appointed.  He  was  siu'cecdcd  bv 
(}.  W.  B.  McDonald  in  .Julv,  1872,  and  .McDonald  bv  AV.  J. 
McCormick  on  March  26,  1873. 

In  the  following  fall,  the  collector's  office  was  robbed  and 
McCormick  was  found  bound  and  gagged  and  claimed  it  was  the 
work  of  the  robbers.  He  was  accused  of  having  taken  the  funds 
himself  and  of  trying  to  conceal  his  guilt  by  a  jn-etendcd  roli- 
bery.  The  trial  excited  great  interest  and  some  bitterness; 
McCormick  was  acquitted,  but  removed  from  office. 

Wm.  W.  Bowers  was  appointed  on  September  25,  1871:.  and 
served  until  July  29,  1882.  George  A.  Johnson  was  then 
appointed,  and  served  to  August  7,  1886.  when  Tlidmas  -1. 
Arnold  became  collector.  His  successor  was  John  R.  Berr\, 
appointed  February  6,  1890,  during  whose  admin isti-ation  the 
Itata  case  occurred.  He  was  followed  by  eJohn  C.  Fisher,  on 
February  16,  1894,  and  Wm.  W.  Bowers  was  again  made  col- 
lector on  ]\rarch  15,  1898.  He  served  until  Febi-uary  6.  1906, 
when  Frank  ^\.  Barnes  was  appointed,  and  the  latter  is  the  pres- 
ent incumbent. 

There  is  no  official  record  of  clearances  of  vessels  and  custom 
house  receipts  at  the  port  of  San  Diego,  prior  to  the  year  1875. 
In  the  following  table  the  figures  prior  to  that  year  have  been 
gathered  from  newspapers,  and  those  hater  are  furnished  by  the 
Treasury  Department : 


704 


HISTORY   OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Statement  showing  entrances  and  clearances  of  vessels  and 
aggregate  receipts  from  customs  at  the  Port  of  San  Diego. 


Yeav 


Vessels  Enteed  Vessels  Cleared 

Coastwise       Total         Foreign     Coastwise       Total 


Foreign 


Receipts 


1878 

13 

72 

85 

13 

63 

76 

12,660.97 

1879 

13 

148 

161 

20 

32 

52 

18.038.26 

1880 

16 

104 

120 

13 

39 

52 

26.819..33 

1881 

54 

103 

157 

52 

24 

76 

35,963.56 

1882 

89 

110 

199 

65 

45 

110 

357,413.50 

1883 

59 

81 

140 

38 

37 

75 

91.142.69 

1884 

30 

75 

105 

33 

4 

37 

12,664.28 

1885 

31 

74 

105 

25 

2 

27 

2,809.99 

1886 

28 

83 

111 

21 

8 

29 

10,719.00 

1887 

115 

138 

253 

109 

22 

131 

29,847.19 

1888 

284 

159 

443 

233 

92 

325 

311.937.59 

1889 

225 

90 

315 

181 

58 

239 

122.127.64 

1890 

190 

94 

284 

151 

40 

191 

74,460.35 

1891 

214 

104 

318 

182 

34 

216 

83,964.50 

1892 

200 

101 

301 

152 

60 

212 

82.817.16 

1893 

183 

111 

294 

141 

49 

190 

93.394.26 

1894 

151 

94 

245 

132 

25 

157 

95,027.24 

1895 

169 

90 

259 

144 

29 

173 

57,507.26 

1896 

188 

94 

282 

172 

20 

192 

59,360.31 

1897 

169 

90 

259 

154 

9 

163 

38.508.26 

1898 

172 

96 

268 

146 

5 

151 

46,410.99 

1899 

156 

92 

248 

146 

26 

178 

71,522.35 

1900 

168 

102 

270 

137 

31 

168 

131,901.27 

19IH 

136 

111 

247 

115 

33 

148 

140,710.84 

1902 

131 

96 

227 

105 

17 

122 

128,183.03 

1903 

132 

107 

239 

113 

12 

125 

73,967.89 

1904 

108 

107 

215 

105 

7 

122 

75,114.41 

1905 

100 

114 

214 

99 

13 

112 

53,463.39 

1906 

100 

112 

212 

88 

25 

113 

104,380.69 

THE  POSTMASTERS  7U5 

The  first  postmaster  at  Old  San  Diego  was  Richard  Rust,  in 
1850.  Tiie  following,'  year  Henry  .J.  ('outs  served.  In  IX^)'.\ 
(Jeoi'iie  Lyons  was  postmaster;  in  18;")(),  Riehai'd  Rust;  and  tlie 
next  vi^iw  l;\()iis  a^aiii.  hi  1858  W.  B.  Couts  was  apfjointed 
and  the  next  year  Joshua  Sloane.  D.  A.  IloUister  served  in 
18()5-()-T  ;  then  Tliomas  H.  Hush  was  appointed.  After  Busli. 
Louis  Rose  served  about  ten  years,  resigning  in  .June,  18S:{.  The 
present  postmaster  at  "North  San  Diego"  is  Paul  Connors. 

Tlie  postoffiee  at  Soutii  San  Diego  was  established  April  8. 
18G*J.  The  tii'st  postmaster  was  Dr.  Jaeob  Allen.  lie  kept  a 
drug  store  and  the  ])()stot"tlce  was  kept  in  this  store.  A  few  years 
later  he  removed  to  Riverside  and  spent  his  last  days  in  that  city. 

On  Decend)er  23,  1869,  Freeman  dates  was  appointed  to  suc- 
ceed Dr.  Allen.  lie  made  Colnmbns  Dunham  deputy  postmaster, 
and  Dunham  did  all  the  woi'k  of  the  office.  At  this  time,  tlie 
postoffiee  was  removed  to  Dunham's  building,  on  Fifth  Street 
iDetween  F  and  G.  In  the  following  iMay  South  San  Diego  was 
made  a  money  order  office.  Mr.  Dunluim  succeeded  (Jates  ;is 
postmaster  on  April  28,  1870,  and  sei'ved  until  his  death.  March 
18,  1876.  His  salary  a.s  postmaster  was  $150  per  annum.  The 
name  of  the  office  was  changed  to  San  Diego.  April  14.  1S71. 
The  subseqiu'nt  incumbents  have  been:  Daniel  Choate.  from 
March  27,  1876 ;  Henry  H.  Burton,  ai)p()inted  Febi-uary  25.  1881 ; 
George  D.  Copeland,"  from  May  23,  1881;  (lustav  \V.  Jorres, 
October  12.  1885 ;  Allen  D.  Norman.  November  10.  1887  ;  How- 
ard M.  Kutehin.  January  27.  1890;  Richard  V.  Dodge.  Febru- 
ary 16.  1894;  Moses  A.  Luce,  February  IL  1898;  and  -lolni  N. 
Newkirk,  appointed  February  28,  1902.  and  i-ecently  reappointed. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  relics  of  goverinnental  activities 
now  at  San  Diego  is  the  old  boat  Piufa.  She  was  built  at  Ches- 
ter, Pennsylvania,  in  1864.  and  when  new  was  the  fastest  boat 
in  the  navy.  Later,  she  served  as  a  fourth-class  gunboat.  Her 
last  regular  service  was  at  the  Alaska  station.  She  was  con- 
demned at  San  Francisco  about  the  year  1896  and  sent  to  ^^an 
Diego,  where  she  bareh'  arrived  under  her  own  steam.  At  the 
time  of  the  Virginivs  affair,  in  the  fall  of  1873.  she  was  off' 
the  Cuban  coast  and  played  an  important  part  in  conv(wing  the 
news  to  the  United  States.  At  present  her  only  usefulness  is  as 
headquarters  for  the  naval  battalion. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   SUBURBS  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

See  how  the  villa  lifts  its  face  of  light 

Against   the   pallid    olives.      Look   dowu    this   vista's   shade 

Of  dark  square  shaveu  slopes,  where  spurts 

The   fountain's   thin   white   thread   and   blows   away! 

Here  will  we  sit  and  let  the  sleeping  noon 

Doze   on   and   dream   into   the   afternoon, 

While  all  the  mountains  shake  in  opal  light, 

Forever  shifting,  till  the  sun's  last   glance 

Transfigures  with  its  splendor  all  our  world. 

There,  Table   Mountain   on   the   horizon   piles 

Its  lofty  crown,  and  gazes  on  the  sea; 

There  swarthy  Loma  crouches  in  repose. 

And  Sierra  Madre  rears  its  purple  ridge 

And  wears  its   ermine  late   into   the   spring. 

When  all  beneath  is  one  vast  bush  of  flowers. 

Dear  Corouado!     Nothing  is  like  her; 

Others   may  jilease  me — her  alone  I  love. 

She  is  no  place  as  other  jjlaces  are, 

But  like  a  mother  and  a  mistress  too — 

The  soul  of  places,  unto  whom  I  give 

How  gladly  all  my  heart,  and  with  it  more. 

That   I  might   give   more. 

—W.  TV.  Story. 

Much  of  the  prosperity  of  San  Diego,  during  the  great  boom 
and  after,  was  due  to  the  developments  on  the  Coronado  Penin- 
sula. The  original  name  for  the  strip  of  land  lying  between  San 
Diego  Bay  and  the  ocean  was  the  Island  or  Peninsula  of  San 
Diego.  This  was  changed,  early  in  1886,  by  the  Coronado  Beach 
Company,  to  the  euphonious  and  now  famous  one  of  Coronado, 
meaning  crown.  There  were  different  claimants  for  this  tract  in 
early  days,  l)ut  it  was  granted  to  Archibald  C.  Peachy  and  Wil- 
liam ri.  Asi)inwall,  who  derived  title  from  Pedro  C.  Carrillo, 
on  June  11,  1869,  and  then  described  as  containing  4,185.46 
acres. 

A  syndicate,  consisting  of  Elisha  S.  Babcock  and  Jacob  Grueu- 
dike  of  San  Diego,  Joseph  Collett  of  Terre  Haute.  Indiana,  and 
Hampton  L.  Story  of  Chicago,  bought  the  peninsula  in  Decem- 
ber, 1885,  obtaining  the  entire  property  from  the  head  of  the 
bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  including  North  Island. 
Later,  General  H.  W.  Halleck  and  Frederick  Billings  became 
interested.    The  moving  spirit  in  the  undertaking  Avas  E.  S.  Bab- 


OTIS  ON  CORONADO  707 

cock.  Junior.  He  was  from  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  came  to 
San  Diego  in  1884  in  search  of  health.  The  price  paid  for  the 
property  was  $110,000.  Articles  of  incorporation  of  tiie  ( 'oro- 
nado  Beach  Company  were  filed  in  April,  1886,  the  capitalization 
of  $1,000,000  being  divided  into  10,000  shares  of  $100  each. 
This  was  the  parent  company,  which  controlled  at  the  l)eginnin^', 
as  it  does  today,  various  subsidiary  corporations,  such  as  rail- 
road and  ferry  companies. 

Writing  in  May,  1886,  to  the  Los  Angeles  Times,  H.  G.  Otis 
says : 

The  entire  peuinsula  has  been  surveyed,  and  the  central 
and  larger  portion,  situated  directly  opposite  the  town  of 
San  Diego,  and  elevated  some  forty  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
has  been  beautifully  platted  and  largely  planted  to  choice 
trees,  shrubbery,  etc.  The  soil  I  found  exceptionally  good — 
a  light,  sandy  loam,  warm  and  easily  worked.  A  nursery  of  a 
hundred  thousand  plants  has  been  established,  and  many  of 
the  embryo  streets  and  avenues  bear  arboreal  names,  such  as 
Palm,  Date,  etc.  A  street  railroad,  to  run  across  the  peninsula 
from  shore  to  shore,  is  under  way  and  will  be  completed 
shortly.  One  of  the  cars  is  already  on  the  ground.  A  telephone 
line,  twenty-five  miles  long,  running  almost  the  entire  length  of 
the  peninsula  connecting  with  the  mainland  on  the  east,  and 
passing  through  National  City,  affords  speaking  communication 
with  the  city.  Several  subordinate  companies,  acting  under 
the  main  company,  have  been  organized  to  push  the  enterprise 
along.  There  are  two  ferry  companies,  a  street  railroad  com- 
pany, a  hotel  company,  a  bathhouse  company,  etc.  A  large 
steam  ferryboat  is  building  at  San  Francisco  for  use  between 
the  mainland  and  the  peninsula.  The  hotel,  it  is  promised, 
will  be  a  grand  structure,  ahead  of  anything  on  the  coast,  and 
costing  as  much  as  $300,000.  (!)  The  projectors  say  that  they 
will  put  a  million  dollars,  all  told,  into  the  main  enterprise,  if 
so  much  be  necessary  to  its  perfect  development;  and  I  am 
assured  by  confident  San  Diegans  that  they  have  "the  stuff" 
to   make  the  promise   good. 

I  should  say,  looking  at  the  spot — uninviting  as  it  is  in 
a  state  of  nature — that  it  would  require  even  that  large  sum 
to  make  the  peninsula  blossom  as  the  rose  and  bloom  with  the 
presence  of  a  large  seaside  populace.  But  money,  work, 
skill,  and  taste  will  do  wonders;  and  these,  coupled  with  the 
energy  and  persistence  of  the  intrepid  projectors,  will  yet  make 
a  notable  place  here.  The  plan  is  to  sell  residence  lots  in  the 
tract,  and  so  gather  about  the  hotel  and  on  the  beaches  a  con- 
siderable permanent  population.  A  few  buildings  have  already 
been  erected.  In  every  deed  a  stipulation  is  inserted  that  no 
spirituous  liquors  shall  ever  be  sold  or  drunk  on  the  premises. 
People  who  want  to  get  drunk  must  do  so  at  the  hotel,  which 
reserves  a  monopoly  of  the  beer  business.  The  prohibition  is, 
I  learn,  causing  a  good  manj'-  "kicks,"  but  the  owners  stand 
firm,  maintaining  that  it  would  be  the  ruin  of  the  spot  to  allow 
it  to  be  covered  with  saloons.  They  say  that  they  have  re- 
fused numerous  urgent  applications  for  the  purchase  of  lots 
for   saloon   purposes.       They   have   planted   themselves  solid   on 


708 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


the    loi'k    of   Prohibition — with    a    loophole    in    tlie    hotel    to    get 
into.       They  lielieve  in  tcnijieranee,  bnt  are  not  bigoted  about  it. 

AYliile  waiting  for  the  new  ferry  l)oat  to  come,  the  B(  iticia  was 
leased  and  pnt  on.  The  new  ferry  boat,  the  Coronado.  arrived 
in  Angnst  and  made  her  first  trij)  on  the  l!)th  of  that  month. 
There  are  now  two  boats  in  this  service,  the  Ratnoiui  and  the 
Coronado,  and  a  regular  service  is  maintained.  Ferry  slips  were 
constructed  at  the  foot  of  Atlantic  Street  in  San  Diego,  and  to 
connect  with  the  street  car  terminus  on  the  Coronado  side.  The 
water  is  carried  beneath  the  waters  of  the  bay  in  submerged 
pipes;  this  system  was  completed  and  the  water  turned  on  Octo- 
ber 22,  1886.  The  total  length  of  the  submerged  pipe  is  3,300 
feet. 


yy^f^^^~ 


•>«v«t-,,|^4j^^ 


CORONADO   TENT   CITY 


In  July,  1886,  W.  H.  Ilolabird  arrived  and  took  charge  of  the 
company's  land  sales  department,  giving  his  attention  to  adver- 
tising and  prei)aring  for  an  auction  sale  of  lots  at  the  new  town- 
site.  The  first  auction  sale  was  held  on  November  13th.  and 
proved  a  great  success.  Three  hnndred  lots  wei'e  sold  at  an 
aggregate  price  of  over  $110,000,  and  the  private  sales  continued 
briskly  for  st)me  time  thereafter,  often  amounting  to  .i^25,000  a 
day,  and  on  one  day  to  $150,000.  The  grand  total  of  these  sales 
amounted  to  between  $2,200,000  and  $2,300,000.  In  January, 
1887,  thei-e  were  thirty  dwellings  completed  and  in  course  of 
construction  in  Coronado,  and  the  sales  of  lots  averaged  $10,000 
per  day.  One  excursion  brought  ten  carloads  of  visitors  from 
Los  Angeles  and  the  East. 


SUBURBAN  COMMUNITIES  709 

In  March,  the  ioundjilions  of  Ihi'  •iivat  hotel  were  laid.  On 
DeccnilxT  7,  1887,  a  si)ecial  ti-aiii  l)i-()ii<iht  the  first  iiistallin.-nt 
of  hotel  lielp.  It  consisted  of  two  baKKa^e  ears,  six  sh-cpcrs.  and 
a  Pullman,  and  there  were  324  people  in  the  party.  Th.-  hot.-! 
was  formally  opened  on  Febrnary  14,  1888,  and  lias  ever  since 
been  maintained  as  a  winter  resort. 

In  Jnly,  1887,  John  D.  Spreckels  acqnii-cd  the  interest  of  W. 
W.  Story  in  the  Coronado  Beach  Company,  and  later  he  ac^nired 
jNIr.  Babeoek's  interest  also,  and  became  the  sole  owner. 

The  town  of  Coronado  is  a  pleasant  aeross-tht^-bay  rcsidfiice 
district.  It  sntfered  somewhat  lonj^er  than  San  Dies,'o  from  the 
depression  follovvin«>'  the  collapse  of  the  boom,  bnt  is  enjoyin-r  a 
healthful  growth.  "Tent  City"  is  one  of  its  most  attractive 
features.  On  the  nari-ow  i)eninsula  east  of  the  hotel,  several 
hundred  tents  and  i)almleaf-covered  cottages  are  erected  early 
each  sununer,  where  a  large  number  of  people  go  to  s|)end  a  few 
weeks  beside  the  ocean.  Ilei'e  there  is  boating.  ])athing.  Mshing, 
and  all  the  pleasures  of  camj)  life,  combined  with  most  of  the 
conveniences  of  life  in  the  city.  It  is  one  of  the  coast's  most 
popular  resorts,  especially  with  those  who  seek  to  escape  the 
summer  heat  of  the  warm  interiors. 

Included  within  the  limits  of  the  city's  great  tract  of  jmeljlo 
lands  are  a  few  thriving  and  and)itious  little  towns.  La  IMaya 
has  been  frequently  mentioned  in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  work. 
It  is  well  situated  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  l)ay  and  mi  lln' 
easterly  slope  of  Point  Loma.  Deep  water  comes  close  to  the 
shore  and  there  is  a  secure  and  convenient  anchoi-age.  At  the 
present  time,  the  inhabitants  of  La  Playa  are  chiefly  tishermen, 
of  various  nationalities. 

Roseville  lies  a  short  distance  north  of  La  Playa  and  in  a  sim- 
ilar situation.  But  the  ])ack-lying  hills  are  not  so  steep  or  so 
near  as  farther  south:  and  there  is  quite  a  little  fertile  land, 
making  attractive  sites  for  homes.  Louis  Rose,  the  founder  of 
this  town,  made  a  considei-al)le  investment  in  lands  bought  partly 
from  the  cit.v  of  San  Diego  and  jiartly  from  lu-ivate  individuals, 
at  an  early  day.  In  1870  he  built  a  wharf,  which  did  good  ser- 
vice, but  the  attractions  were  not  sufRcieiil  to  overcome  those 
of  Ilorton's  new  town  and  di-aw  the  po])ulatiou  away.  At  pres- 
ent the  population  is  small,  but  the  place  is  attracting  attention 
because  of  its  many  advantages  of  soil,  view,  cheap  land,  and 
proximit.v  to  the  bay  and  ocean.  \u  electric  street  car  line  is 
promised  for  an  early  day  and  a  small  feri-y  boat  now  plies 
between  San  Diego  and  Rosi'ville. 

The  incorporated  town  of  Morena  lies  north  (d"  Old  Town,  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  False  Ba\-.  It  was  laid  out  in  1887  by  -Tames 
McCoy,  A.  H.  ]\IcITatton.  1).  ( "avc.  <).  S.  l[ubl)ell.  Charl.'s  D. 
Blanev.  and  O.  J.  Stoutzli.     .Mr.  Stouizh  is  now  the  owner  of  the 


710 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


tract.  It  includes  about  1,000  acres  of  land  of  different  char- 
acter, the  greater  portion  of  which  slopes  gently  toward  False 
Bay  and  affords  attractive  sites  for  suburban  homes. 

Pacific  Beach  is  situated  eight  miles  north  of  San  Diego,  on 
ihe  northern  shore  of  False  Bay,  near  the  ocean.  The  settlement 
was  founded  in  the  summer  of  1887,  and  was  intended  to  be  an 
educational  center.  At  an  auction  sale  of  lots  in  December  of 
that  year,  over  $200,000  worth  of  property  was  sold.  A  number 
of  substantial   buildings  were   erected   and   opened  as  the  San 


AUTOMOBILE  TRACK  AT  LAKESmE 


Diego  College  of  Letters.  The  educational  work  was  inaugur- 
ated in  September,  1888,  with  Dr.  Samuel  Sprecher  as  president, 
and  a  full  corps  of  instructors.  Harr  Wagner  was  vice-president 
and  manager  in  1888,  1889,  and  1890.  0.  J.  Stough  was  one  of 
the  most  active  supporters  of  the  enterprise  and  provided  a  large 
share  of  the  means  for  estal)lishing  and  carrying  it  on.  The 
hard  times  following  the  boom  bore  heavily  upon  the  young  col- 
lege and  the  work  finally  had  to  be  abandoned.  The  principal 
building  has  been  converted  into  a  hotel,  called  the  Hotel  Bal- 
boa.    The  settlement  is  reached  l)v  steam  motor  cars  and  will 


BEAUTIES  OF  LA  JOLLA 


711 


soon  have  two  electric  lines.  Some  of  the  most  a1  tractive  homes 
near  San  Diego  are  at  this  place.  The  town  ilsi'lt  is  trrowiii'^ 
steadily  and  its  advantages  as  a  place  of  suhurhan  residciiei'  are 
certain  to  he  more  and  more  api)reciated. 

La  Jolla  is  a  nni((ue  settlement  and  one  almost  as  well  known 
to  the  travelling  public  as  Coronado  or  San  Diego  itself,  li  lies 
on  the  ocean,  fourteen  miles  north  of  San  Diego.  The  slinrt;  line 
of  the  ocean  curves  sharply  inward  at  this  spot,  so  tiiat  the  town 


C.    D.    ROLFE 

One  of  the  builders  of  La  Jolla  whose  faith   in   the  future  of  the  seaside  comnr.unity  i.s 
expressed  in  large  ownership  of  property 


faces  the  north.  It  is  tlanked  on  the  west  by  the  Pacitic.  and 
overlooked  on  the  east  and  sonth  by  high  hills.  The  town  lies 
chiefly  on  a  plateau  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the  beaeli. 
but  campers  and  summer  residents  live  in  tents  and_ cottages  on 
the  lower  slopes  and  on  the  beach.  One  of  the  chief  attractions 
is  the  very  remarkable  cliff  formations  of  the  shore.  These  cliffs 
rise  in  jagged  masses  to  a  height  of  a  hundred  feet  or  more.  At 
the  base,  they  are  hollowed  into  caves  and  recesses  by  the  action 
of  the  waves!    To  see  the  bi-eakers  sweeping  in  and  dashing  upon 


<: 

J 
o 

>-: 

■< 

J 

O 
> 


NATIONAL  CITY  713 

these  stone  bastions  is  a  sio-ht  never  to  be  forjr(»tlcn.  The  most 
noted  eavcrn  is  "the  White  Lady,"  which  funiislics  llic  s.'ttin^' 
for  Mi's.  Thorpe's  sketch,  The  While  Ladij  of  La  Jolht.  \n 
phiees  at  the  foot  of  these  eliifs  there  ai-e  strips  ot  sand  accessi- 
ble by  ziozno-  paths  fi'oni  above,  and  there  are  safe  l)a11iiiii:  phiccs 
adjacent  to  these. 

It  is  claimed  l)y  the  residents  that  tlie  climate  ..f  La  .b.Ua  is 
warmer  in  winter  and  coeler  in  snmmer  than  at  Coronado  cv«-n. 
The  land  was  pnrehased  from  the  city  many  yeai-s  aiio  and  the 
title  finally  came  down  to  F.  T.  Botsford.  who  laid  it  out  as  a 
townsite  in  1887.  He  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  (i.  W.  llcahi, 
and  then  by  Charles  Dearborn,  each  purchasin<i-  a  onc-fciinth 
interest.  At  an  auction  sale  held  eai'ly  in  May,  LS87.  they  dis- 
posed of  lots  to  the  total  amount  of  -is^G, ()()(),  and  within  a  year 
thereafter  sold  .^96,000  worth  more.  Mr.  Dearborn  still  lives  in 
La  Jolla  ;  he  says  he  went  there  to  sta\-  Ihrcc  months,  and  ended 
by  staying'  nineteen  years. 

Until  about  two  years  ago,  the  resident  ])opubition  of  La  Jolla 
was  small,  but  the  houses  were  always  occui)ied  during  the  sea- 
son. Of  late,  permanent  residents  have  been  building  the  i)lace 
up  ra]iidly,  until  now  it  has  a  permanent  ])opulation  of  about 
500.  There  are  three  churches,  one  of  whicli  has  its  own  build- 
ing and  the  others  soon  will  have:  a  good  school,  several 
stores,  a  lilu'ary,  i-estaurants,  l)atli  houses,  and  nuuiy  other 
improvements. 

The  atmosphei'e  of  La  Jolla  is  distinctly  artistic  and  litei-ary. 
Here  live  Rose  Hartwick  Thorpe,  author  of  Cnrfcic  Must  \(d 
Eing  Tonight,  and  other  well  known  works;  Anna  Held,  now 
wife  of  ^lax  Heinrich,  owner  of  the  Green  Drago)i :  and  other 
celebrities.  The  place  is  beloved  by  artists,  who  draw  and  paint 
the  many-colored  cliffs  with  the  ocean  and  brown  hills  kee]iing 
sleepless  guard;  by  invalids,  who  find  the  sea  l)ree/es,  e<|ual»lc 
temperatures,  and  safe  sea-bathing  invigorating;  and  by  lovers 
of  quiet,  who  find  its  peace  satisfying.  It  has  attractions  for  the 
naturalist,  also,  in  the  rare  and  beautiful  algea  and  other  marine 
growths  found  in  the  waters  at  the  foot  of  the  eliifs. 

The  biological  station  recently  established  t)y  the  I'niversity 
of  California  at  La  Jolla  is  already  doing  good  work,  and  its 
first  year  (1905)  was  productive  of  important  results.  .\  new- 
building  was  erected,  with  funds  given  by  the  citizens  of  La 
Jolla  and  San  Diego.  There  are  research  rooms,  a  museum, 
library,  etc.  The  boat  Lonia  was  donated  by  E.  W.  Scripps.  with 
funds  for  her  refitting,  and  the  beginnings  of  a  technical  library 
secured.  Considerable  dredging  was  done,  special  studies  car- 
ried on  by  the  staff  and  by  visitors,  and  a  series  of  lectures  liy 
specialists  given. 


714  HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 

Althou.uh  outside  the  city  limits  of  S;iii  Dieg'O,  National  City 
has  peculiar  claims  111)011  the  interest  and  affections  of  its  people. 
In  early  Spanish  days  the  National  Rancho  was  considered  part 
of  the  pne])lo  lands  and  was  used  in  eommon  hy  the  inhabitants. 
The  Kimball  brothers  purchased  it  in  1808  and  soon  made  some 
of  the  most  important  early  developments.  They  laid  out  the 
town  of  National  City,  bnilt  a  wharf,  and  soon  had  a  consider- 
able population.  The  site  of  the  town  is  a  beautiful  one.  It 
lies  on  smooth  bat  elevated  land,  on  the  bay  shore  south  of  San 
Diego,  extending  from  the  city  limits  south  to  the  Sweetwater 
River.  Its  avenues  are  lined  with  trees,  and  these,  with  the 
numerous  groves  and  orchards,  make  the  place  shady  and  attract- 
ive.    In  size  the  town  is  the  second  in  the  county. 

The  Land  and  Town  Company  have  their  offices  here,  also 
their  packing  houses  from  whicli  citrus  and  other  fruits  are 
shipped  in  large  quantities.  The  California  Citrus  Products 
Comjiany  began  the  manufacture  of  citric  acid,  oil  of  lemon, 
and  a  drink  called  "Melade"  in  1898.  This  industry  has  grown 
until  it  now  consumes  ten  tons  of  lemons  daily.  There  is  also 
an  olive  oil  factory  which  turns  out  a  superior  lirand  of  oil.  The 
town  has  good  schools,  a  public  library,  a  bank,  and  five 
churches.  Some  of  the  surrounding  country  is  highly  developed 
and  eontains  orchards  and  country  homes  which  cannot  be  sur- 
passed on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  people  of  National  City  are  in 
a  happy  frame  of  mind  at  jiresent.  Real  estate  values  are  ris- 
ing, and  with  their  many  advantages  of  situation,  rich  back 
country  and  deep  water  frontage,  their  confidence  seems  to  be 
abundantly  justified. 

Besides  giving  the  harlior  of  San  Diego  its  peculiarly  shel- 
tered and  land-locked  situation.  Point  Loma  is  a  spot  of  great 
interest,  in  itself.  The  old  "ofticial  description"  of  the  Point 
runs  as  follows : 

This  is  the  southern  part  of  the  western  boundary  of  San 
Diego  Bay  and  tlie  termination  of  a  remarkable  spur  of  coarse, 
(■i-nm])ling  sandstone,  whicli  rises  south  of  Puerto  Falso,  or 
False  Bay,  and  west  of  the  [old]  town  of  San  Diego,  to 
tlie  height  of  three  hundred  feet,  and  after  stretching  south 
for  about  five  and  one-half  miles,  gradually  increasing  in  height 
to  four  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet,  terminates  very  abruptly. 
It  is  covered  with  coarse  grass,  cacti,  wild  sage,  and  low  bushes. 

On  its  historical  side,  the  Point  is  the  site  of  the  old  town  of 
La  Play  a,  the  outport  of  Old  San  Diego,  with  its  traditions  of 
Dana  and  the  hide  houses ;  of  the  government  military  reserva- 
tion and  Fort  Rosecrans ;  of  the  quarantine  station,  marine  hos- 
pital, lighthouses  old  and  new,  and  the  projected  coaling  sta- 
tion; and  of  the  ^Mormon  search  for  coal  in  the  50 's.  It  also 
contains  the  town  of  Ocean  Beach,  where  many  3'ears  ago  the 


STORY  OF  POINT  LOMA  715 

Indiaijs  fure-ialliert'd  to  dry  iisli  and  claiiis  and  wlicrc  in  latin- 
years  was  a  favorite  picnic  ground  for  tlu-  inlial)itan1s  <.r  ll«n-. 
ton's  Addition;  and  of  Roseville,  now  looking  forward  lio|.rl"nllv 
to  becoming  a  prosperous  and  popnlons  snhnrh  ol"  the  city  ni 
San  Diego.  A  number  of  farmers,  daii-ynicn,  and  horlicultnral- 
ists  till  its  soil,  which  is  fertile  and  only  ivipiires  irrigation  and 
cultivation  to  produce  abundantly. 

l^ut  the  chief  interest  now  attaching  to  Point  Loma,  f(»r  the 
inhabitants  of  San  Diego  no  less  than  for  visitors,  is  the  loca- 
tion there  of  "The  Universal  Brotherhood  and  Thcosophical 
Society,"  whose  buildings  form  a  very  striking  feature  of  the 
landscape.  Sailing  down  tlie  coast,  the  travelei-  discerns  first 
the  bold  promontory  of  Point  L(mia,  reaching  liki'  a  long  finger 
into  the  sea.  Something  upon  the  heights,  which  at  first  i-esein- 
bles  a  white  mist,  slowly  takes  on  form  and  coloi-,  and,  at  la.st, 
stands  forth  in  tangible  shape  as  a  group  of  buildings,  unique 
and  picturesque,  flashing  the  sunshine  fi-om  glass-covered  domes 
and  minarets.  There  is  a  harmonions  blending  of  architectiu-al 
lines,  partly  Moorish,  partly  Egyptian,  with  somelliing  l)elong- 
ing  to  neither.  Looking  u{)on  tlu^  heights  from  the  other  side 
— from  the  hills  of  San  Diego  or  the  jieninsula  of  Coronado — 
this  quaint  landmark  looms  quite  as  conspicuously  ui)on  the 
horizon,  as  from  the  sea;  and,  throughout  the  night,  the  lamjis 
hung  in  the  highest  turrets  gleam  out  over  land  and  sea.  mak- 
ing a  luminous  spot  in  the  darkness,  which  is  visil)le  for  miles. 

The  cornerstone  for  the  first  of  these  buildings,  the  "School 
for  the  Revival  of  the  Lost  Mysteries  of  Anti(juity,"  was  laid 
by  Katherine  Tingley  on  February  23,  1897.  The  stone  itself 
was  brought  from  Killarney,  in  Ireland.  The  site  of  the  Home- 
stead, consisting  of  several  lumdi'ed  acres,  had  been  selected  and 
purchased  by  Mrs.  Tingley  in  the  preceding  year.  It  was  not 
until  Fe])ruary  13,  1898,  however,  that  Mrs.  Tingley  took  up  h'T 
permanent  residence  at  the  Homestead  ami  began  to  concentrate 
tlie  activities  of  the  World's  Center  of  Theosophy.  The  Pni- 
versal  Brotherhood  and  Thcosophical  Society's  offices.  th»>  Thco- 
sophical Publishing  Company,  the  Internatioiud  Brothei-hoo<l 
League,  the  Aryan  Theosophical  Society  of  New  Yoi-k.  and  the 
Wonuin's  Exchange  and  ^lart.  were  soon  installed  in  their  new 
home.  The  grounds  were  i-apidh-  ini'Moved  and  buildings 
erected,  the  largest  two  being  the  Loma  Homestead  and  the 
Aryan  Memorial  Temple.  At  a  division  of  the  Homestead 
called  "Estero"  are  the  buildings  of  the  School  for  the  Ixevival 
of  the  Lost  Mvsteries  of  Antiquity.  The  cornei'ston(^  cd'  the  Isis 
Temple  of  Art,  Music  and  Drama  was  laid  on  April  20.  1900, 
and  the  dedication  of  the  Tnternati(»nal  Lotus  Home  and  eslab- 
lishment  of  the  Raja  Yoga  School  occnrred  on  the  following'  Hi-st 
of  Mav.     In  Februarv,   1901,   pnl)lic  presentations  of  classienl 


716 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


KATHERINE   TINGLEY 

Official  head  of  the  Theosophical  Society  and  Universal  Brotherhood,  under  whose  guid- 
ance the  institutions  of  Point  Loma  have  been  developed  w^ith  remarkable  success.  Mrs. 
Tingley  vindicated  the  character  of  her  work  by  defeating  the  Los  Angeles  Times  in  a  not- 
able libel  suit,  and  by  overcoming  powerful  opposition  in  securing  the  admission  of  Cuban 
children  to  the  Raja  Yoga  schools.  Her  work  is  of  world-wide  scope,  with  Point  Loma  as 
its  official  center 


plays  in  the  city  of  San  Diotio  was  lipfiiin  and  the  daily  lectures 
in  the  Aryan  ^Memorial  Temple  at  the  Homestead  were  opened 
to  the  public.  The  bnilding-  of  the  amphitheater  for  the  per- 
formance of  classical  plays  and  also  for  athletic  contests  along 


KATHERINE  TINGLEY  717 

the  lines  of  the  oriiiiiial  Olynipiiiii  tannics,  was  ('(nnplcted  in 
November  of  that  year.  In  March.  1!)()2,  Mrs.  TiiiL^h-y  hrcnin.- 
the  owner  of  Fisher's  Opera  l[oiise.  the  j)rincipal  tlicatiM-  in  San 
Diego,  the  name  of  which  was  cliaimcd  to  the  Isis.  This  theater 
is  used  for  i)ul)li('  meetinus  and  dramatic  ])erforiiiaiicc  and  tlic 
building  is  utilized  for  the  San  Diego  branches  of  the  Home- 
stead Mork.  particulai'ly  foi-  the  Aryan  Pnss,  the  Ka.ja  Yoga 
School  and  the  Tsis  Conservatory  of  Music. 

The  official  name  of  the  Homestead  is  "Adyar."  Tl  is  an 
educational  center.  The  methods  are  unif|ue,  being  based  upon 
the  development  from  within  of  the  pupil's  own  powers,  rather 
than  upon  cramming  from  books.  A  large  number  of  Cuban 
children  and  other  waifs  have  found  a  home  here:  ])ut,  on  the 
other  hand,  many  i)eoi)le  of  wealth  and  i-efiiuMnent  make  it  their 
home  liecause  of  the  superior  educational  advantages  otl'ei'ed. 
The  children  of  the  rich  and  poor  mingle  in  perfect  e(iuality  and 
learn  no  class  distinctions.  The  connnunity's  housekeej)ing  is 
carried  on  co-operatively  and  the  pi-inciples  of  brotherlutod  ai-e 
exemplified  in  every  department  of  the  life  and  woi-k. 

Katherine  Tingiey,  the  "Leader  and  Official  Head."  is  the 
sincere  and  able  woman  who  has  created  and  is  develoi)ing  this 
institution.  In  San  Diego  there  are  many  Theosophists.  and  the 
activities  of  the  Homestead  ai-e  regarded  with  kindly  and  sym- 
pathetic interest  by  the  mass  of  the  population. 


Political  Ro^er,  City  of  San  Diego 


MAYOR 


1850 

185 1 

1852 

1852-89 

1889-91 

1891-6 


1850 


Joshua  H.   Bean 
David   B.   Kurtz 
G.  P.  Tebbetts 
Board  of  Trustees 
Douglas  Gunu 
W.  H.  Carlson 


1897-8  D.  C.  Rood 

1899-00  Edwin  M.  Capps 

1901-4  Frank  P.  Frary 

1905  John  L.  «phnn* 

1907-  John  F.  Forward 


COUNCII. 


Atkins  S.  Wright 
Chas.  Haraszthy 
Wm.  Leamj^ 
Chas.  P.  Noell  res. 
Phili]3  Crosthwaite 
Chas.  E.  Johnson  res. 
Geo.  F.  Hooper 

1851  David  B.   Kurtz 
John  Brown 
Geo.  P.  Tebbetts 
A.  Blackburn 
Enos  A.  Wall  res. 
J.  J.  Ames 

J.  .Jordan,  election  contested 
Thos.   Wrightington  res. 
.John  Dillon 

1852  Geo.  P.  Tebbetts 

R.  E.  Raimond  1891-2 

Wni.  Lea  my 

Chas.  C.  .Johnson 

Chas.  Fletcher 

W.  P.  Toler 
1852        Board   of   Trustees,   1887 
1888        W.  J.  Hunsaker,  pres. 

C.  C.  Valle 

A.  M.  Thornburg 

G.  W.  Waters 

Frank  Clark 

W.  H.  Pringle 

Geo.  W.  Marston 

Simon  Levi 

J.  A.  McEae 

H.  P.  Whitney 

G.  C.  Arnold 

F.  H.  Burkhardt 

N.  D.  Hamilton 
1889-90  Aldermen— 

C.  F.  Francisco 
Simon  Levi 

T.  C.  Fisher 
H.  A.  Perry 
W.  A.  Begole 
H.  F.  Norcross 

D.  Cave  1893-4 
A.  G.  Gassen 

Delegates — 
W.  T.  Lyons 


Melvin  Stone 

C.  W.  Paulv 
J.  IL  Marshall 
A.  H.  .Julian 
G.  G.  Bradt 

J.  P.  Davis 
W.  R.  Day 
G.  M.  Wetherbee 
Paul  H.  Ridiger 

D.  H.  Hewett 
C.  E.  Heath 
A.  B.  S'eybolt 

J.  W.  Thompson 
Geo.  P.  1^0 w 
R.  G.  JIulbert 
G.  F.  Carman 
William  Carper 
Aldermen — 
H.  T.  Christian 
Simon  Levi 
C.  C.  Brandt 
H.  A.  Perry 
W,  A.  Begole 
H.  P.  Whitney 
A.  G.  Gassen 
A.  E.  Nutt 
S.  J.  Sill 
Delegates — 

E.  C.  Thorpe 
Geo.  H.  Crippen 
Chas.  W.  Pauly 
T.  W.  Burns 

A.  N.  Miller 
Fred  Baker 
W.  J.  Prout 
Paul  A.  Rodiger 
M.  M.  Conn 

B.  F.  Wertzman 
J.  F.  Eseher 
.Jacob  Price 
Stephen  Doud 
H.  H.  Williams 
W.  W.  Wetzel] 
Aldermen — • 
Joseph  S.  Bach  man 
A.  Bloehmau 
Simon  Levi 


720 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


COUNCIL — C0)lf. 


'  W.  J.  Piout 
Geo.  H.  Spears 

Delegates — 
S.  F.  Barker 
Geo.  M.  Haviee 
Chas.  W.  Pauly 
H.  Tweeney 
H.   R.  Doolittle 
C.  C.  Hakes 
Fred  Baker 
S.  H.  Olmstead 
Wni.  H.  Kroali 
Fred  H.   Eobinson 
C.  H.  Brown 
Danville  F.  Jones 
H.  L.  Barrows 
Thos.  H.  Dunkin 
Geo.  H.  Eotner 
W.  T.  Davis 
189r)-6     Aldermen — 
Amos  Beard 
A.  E.  Dodson 
Henry  Sweeney 
Geo.  B.  Watson 

Delegates — 
J.  A.  Altamarino,  Jr. 
&'.  F.  Barker 
N.  V.  Paddock 
Chas.  W.  Pauly 

C.  C.  Hakes 
John  F.  Warner 
Fred  Baker 

S.  H.  Olmstead 
,Tolin  Campbell 
T.  L.  Paulsen 

D.  F.  Jones 
M.  J.  Perrin 
Thos.  H.  Dunkin 
H.  Weliseh 

E.  S.  Burgert 

F.  A.  James 
1897-8     Aldermen— 

L.  A.  Blochman 
S.  G.  Tngle 
Simon  Levi 
A.  E.  N"utt 
C.  W.  Pauly 

Delegates— 
F.  W.  Barnes 
E.  H.  Wright 
Walter  H.  Morgan 
Geo.  F.  Euble 
Hi  W.  Alden 
A.  A.  Thorp 
A.  Morgan 
S.  H.  Olmstead 
W.  H.  Doddridge 
John  W.  Lambert 


H.  M.  Land  is 
M.  J.  Perrin 
A.  P.  Jolinson.  Jr. 
T.  M.  Williamson 
J.  H.  Cassidy 
F.  A.  James 

1899-90  Aldermen — 

S.  W.  Hackett 

C.  C.  Hakes 

D.  F.  Jones 
Geo.  B.  Watson 

J.  P.  M.  Eainbow 
Homer  C.  Taber 

Delegates — 
F.  W.  Barnes 
W.  L.  T  re  vert 

F.  P.  Frary 

W.  W.   Whitson 
H.  C.  Gordon 
A.  A.  Thorp 

E.  G.  Bradburv 
E.  H.  Wright 
J.  W.  Lambert 
Geo.  McNeil 
Ed  Gutwillig 

C.  C.  Craig 

E.  E.  Denton 

G.  A.  J.  Urban 
M.  Williamson 
Henry  Woolman 
Otto  Sippell 

1901-2     Aldermen — 

J.  P.  M.  Eainbow 
S.  G.  Ingle 
H.  M.  Landis 

F.  C.  Hyers 
Geo.  M.  Hawley 
M.  J.  Perrin 

Delegates — 
Geo.  Butler 
E.  C.  Thorp 
M.  W.  Jenks 
Geo.  B.  Chapman 
Jas.  S.  Clark 
E.  P.   Guinan 
E.  J.  Blair 
E.  C.  Bradburv 
Geo.  McNeil 
John  W.  Lambert 
W.  H.  C.   Ecker 
Ed  Gutwillig 
Barker  B.urnell 
A.  H.  Kayser 
Frank  H.  Briggs 
Henry  Busch 
Henry  Woolman 
W.  W.  Lewis 


CITY  ROSTER 


721 


COUNCIL — Co  lit. 


1903-4  •  Aldermen— 

S.  T.  Johnson 
M.  J.  Pen-in 

D.  F.  Jones 
J.  M.  Steade 
Geo.  H.  Crippen 
Chas.  Kelly 

Delegates — 
John   1j.  Sehon 
Jos.  F.  Eichert 
Geo.  B.  Chapman 
Jas.  S.  Clark 
R.  P.   Guinan 

E.  H.  Wright 
Jas.  Simpson 
Geo.  McNeil 
John  W.  Lambert 
W.  H.  C.  Ecker 
L.  A.  Creelman 

E.  W.  Peterson 
J.  T.  Bntler 

F.  H.  Briggs 


.1.  M.   Willijiinsoii 
Frank  ('.   Miitler 
W.    \V.   I.,. wis 
lyuo         (Jominon  Coiim-il — 

E.  C.  Thorpe 
J.  B.  Osborn 

L.  A.  Bloehniaii 
Chas.  Kelly 
Geo.  Mf'Neil 
L.  A.  Creel  man 
Jay  N.  Reynolds 
A.  P.  Johnson,  Jr. 
P.  J.  Goldkamp 
1907-       Charles  Kelly 
Geo.  F.  Mahler 
Percy  E.  Woods 
A.  E.  Dodson 
Geo.  McNeil 
L.  A.  Creelman 

F.  J.  Goldkamp 
J.  E.  Conn  ell 
W.  H.  Palmer 


CLERK  OF  COUNCIL 


1850  Dr.  .lohn  Conger 

1851  A.  .J.  Matsell,  res. 


1852 


Dr.  .T.  F.  Painter 
Dr.  J.  F.  Painter 


CITY  ATTORNEY 


1850-1     Thos.  W.  Sutherland 
1852        .Tames  W.  Robinson 
1888        H.  L.  Titus 
1889-90  James  P.  Goodwin 


1891-4     Wm.  H.  Fuller 
1895-04  H.  E.  Doolittle 
1905-6     W.  R.  Andrews 
1907-       George  Puterbaugh 


CITY   ASSESSOR 


1850  J.  A.  Estudillo,  refused  office       1880-5  M.  D.  Hamilton 

1886  H.  T.  Christian 

1851  D.  L.  Gardiner  res.  18S7  .1.  M.   Asher 

1888  L.  D.  Burbeck 

1889  G.  W.  Jorres  res. 
1890-2  Gilbert  Rennie 
1893-04  Nat  R.  Titus 
1905-6  B.  J.  Edmonds 
1907-  Daniel  Potter 


1852 

1872-5 

1876-7 

1878 

1879 


Richard   Rust 

D.  L.  Gardiner  res. 

John  Soloman 

A.  J.  Marks 

Mark  P.  Shaffer 

D.   Burroughs 

Henry  M.  Bentzel 

Henry  M.  Bentzel  died 

H.  T.  Christian 


TREASURER 


1850  J.  A.  Estudillo 

1851  J.  W.  Robinson 

1852  J.  A.  Estudillo 
1872-4  Charles  Hubbell 
1875-6  Philip  Morse 
1877-88  S.  Statler 


1889-91  R.  V.  Dodge 
1892-8     T.  J.    Dowell 
1899-04  R.  V.   Dodi'e 
1905        C.  L.  Williams  res. 
1906-7     Clnude  Williams 


Political  Roster,  San  Diego  County 


STATE  SENATORS. 


1849-50 

E.  Kirby  Cliainberla 

in 

1871-4 

James   McCoy 

1851-2 

Jonathan   J.   Warnei 

1875-81 

.John  W.  Satterwhite 

1853 

D.  B.  Kurtz 

1883-4 

John  Wolfskin 

1854-5 

J.  P.  MeFarland 

1885-6 

A.  P.  .Johnson 

1856-7 

B.   D.   Wilson 

1887-9 

W.  W.  Bowers 

1858-9 

Cameron   E.   Thorn 

1891-3 

H.  M.  Streeter 

1860-1 

Andres  Pico 

1895-7 

D.  L.  Withington 

1862-3 

J.  C.  Bogart 

1899-01 

A.  E.  Nutt 

1863-6 

M.  C.  Tuttle 

1903-5 

Martin  L.  Ward 

1867-70 

W.  A.  Conn 

1907- 

L.  A.  Wright 

ASSEMBLYMEN. 

1849-50 

Oliver  S.  Witherby 

1877-S 

F.    N.   Pauly 

1851 

John  Cook 

1880 

C.  C.  Watson 

1852 

Agostin  Haraszthy 

1881 

E.  W.  Hendrick 

1853 

Frizbv  W.  Tilghman 

1883-4 

Edwin  Parker 

1854 

Charles  P.  Noell 

1885-6 

T.  J.  Swayue 

1855 

Wm.  C.  Terrell 

1887-92 

Nestor  A.  Young 

1856-7 
1858 

J.  J.  Kendrick 
Eobert  W.  Groom 

1893-4 

W.  H.    Carlson,   79th 
Wm.  M.  Casterline,  80th 

1859 

A.  S.  Ensworth 

1895-8 

W.  E.  Guy,  79th 

1860 

Eobert  W.  Groom 

1895-6 

Alfred  Kean,  80th 

1861 

D.  B.  Kurtz 

1897-8 

.James  L.  Dryden,  80th 

1862 

D.  B.  Hotfman 

1899-00 

Lewis  E.  Works,  79th 

1863-4 

J.  J.  Kendrick 

A.   S.   Crowder,    80th 

1865-6 

George  A.  Johnson 

1901-6 

Frank  W.  Barnes,  79th 

1867-8 

Benjamin  Hayes 

1901-2 

Chas.  E.  Stewart,  80th 

1869-70 

Wm.  N.  Eobinson 

1903-4 

.John  G.  Burgess,  80th 

1871-2 

George  M.  Dannals 

1905-6 

Percy  A.  .Johnson,  80th 

1873-4 

W.  W.  Bowers 

1907- 

W.  F.  Ludington,  79th 

1875-6 

James  M.  Pierce 

Percy  .Johnson,  80th 

DISTRICT  JUDG 

E. 

1851 

Oliver  S.  Witherby 

1871 

Murray   Morrison   died 

1859-63  Benjamin  Hayes 
1864-7     Pablo   de  la   Guerra 
1868-70  Murray  Morrison 


H.  C.  Eolfe 
1872  H.  C.  Eolfe 
1873-9     W.  T.  McNealy 


SUPERIOR  JUDGE. 


1880-5 
1886 

1887 

1888 
1889-90 


W.  T.  McNealy 
W.  T.  McNealy  res. 
John  D.  Works 
.John  D.  Works  res. 
Edwin  Parker 
Edwin  Parker 
.John   E.    Aitken 


1889-96  Geo.  Puterbaugh 

W.    L.    Pierce 
1891         E.  S.  Torrance 
1897        -John  Wilmer  Hughes,  died 

Geo.  Fuller 
1898-00  Geo.  Fuller 
1901-        Norman  IT.  Conklin 


1850  Wm.  C.  Ferrell 

1851  Thor.  W.  Sutherland 
1852-6  ,Jas.  W.  Eobinson 
1857-8  J.  E.  Gitchell 


DISTRICT  ATTORNEY. 
1859 


1860-1 
1862-3 


Wm.  C.  Ferrell  res. 
D.  B.  Hoffman 
D.  B.  Hoffman 
.James  Nichols 


COUNTY  ROSTER 


728 


DrSTRICT    ATTORNEY — Coilt. 


1864-.-) 
1866-7 
1868-9 
187U-2 
1873-5 
1876-7 
1878-9 
1880-2 
1883-4 
1885-6 


1850-3 
1854 
1855-9 
1860 


1850-1 
1852 

1853 
1854 

1855 
1853 


1854 


1855 


1).  A.   Il(. Ulster 
G.  A.  Beuzei) 
Ciillen  A.  .lohiison 
W.  T.  McNoaly 
B.  Hotchkiss 
H.   Wildy 
H.  Coiiklin 
Will   M.  Smith 
W.  J.  Hunsaker 
E.  \V.  Ilcndrifk 


A. 
H. 

N. 


lSS7-<t(l  .laiiifs  S.  ('..i.flaii.l 

1891-2     JoliiisluiH-  .ImIiiis 

1893-4     M.    L.   Wanl 

1895         VV.  M.  Darby  <li.-.l  lu-fore  in- 

aii^iiral  iuii. 
189(i        M.   L.   Ward 
1S97-S     Ad.'ll)cit  II.  Sw.-cl 
1899-02  T.  L.  Lewis 
1903-6     Cassias  ('arl.T 
1907-        ijL'wis   R.    Kirl.v 


COUNTY    ,UDGE. 


John  Ilays 
Cavo  J.  Coiits 
David  B.  Kurtz 
Will.    H.    Noyes 

ASSOCIATE    JUDGES, 

Charlos  Haraszthy 

Wm.   H.  Moon 

J.  Judsou  Ames 

W.   P.   ToJer  to   August   4 

Wm.  T.   Conlon,  sue. 

E.   W.  Morse 

John  Hayes 

Lewis  A.  Franklin 

Morse 

Kurtz 

Ladd 

Damon 
Kurtz 

Ladd 


1861-2 
1863-7 
1868-75 
1876-9 


D.   A.   TTdllist.-r 
Jnlio   Osnna 
Thos.   H.    Bush 
M.  A.  Luce 


E. 

D. 

II. 

J. 

D. 

H. 


W. 

B. 

C. 

F. 

B. 

C. 


COUKT   OF   SESSIONS. 

Philip  Crosthwaite  (acting) 

1856  D.    B.    Kurtz 

C.  C.  Samuel 
A.  E.  Ensworth 

1857  D.   B.   Kurtz 
A.  E.  Maxey 
Jose  J.  Ortega 

1858-9     D.   B.   Kurtz 

D.  A.   Hollister 
Wm.   H.   Noyes 

1860        D.   B.    Kurtz 

Wm.   H.   Noves 
A.    B.    Smith 


BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS. 


Wm.   C.   Forrell,   C. 

E.  B.  Pendleton,  V.-C. 

Louis  Rose 

Jas.  W.  Robinson,  sue.  by 

E.   W.   Morse  "       1856 

J.   J.    Warner,   sue.   by 

George  Lvons 

J.   L.   Bleeker,    C. 

Geo.  P.  Tebbetts 

Geo.  Lyons 

Geo.  McKinstry  1857 

Geo.  F.  Hooper 

E.  W.   Morse 

Louis   Rose 

J.   J.   Warner,   C. 

E.  W.  Morse 

Julian   Ames 

Geo.  Lyons 

Geo.  McKinstrv 

Suc.  by         ^  1858 

E.  W.   Morse,   C. 
O.  S.   Witherbv 


Geo.   Lyons 
Julian   .\mes 
C.  G.  Saunders 
Cave  J.  Couts 
Thos.  R.  Darnall.  C. 
O.  S.  Witherby 
Joseph    Smith 

C.  S.  Saunders 
Cave  J.  Couts 
Thos.   Collins 
James  Nichols,  C. 

Thos.  R.  Darnall.  sue.  by 

D.  B.   ITonmaii 
Joseph  Smith,  sue.  bv 
H.  H.  Whaley 

Cave  J.  Couts.  sue  by 

H.  C.  Ladd 

M.  Sehillor.  sue. 

J.  L.  Mel nt ire 

O.  S.  With.-rbv.  C. 

H.  C.  Ladd 

11.    II.    Whalev 


bv 


724 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


l>.OARD    OF*    SUPERVISORS.^ — Cout. 


J.  L.  Mclntire 

Cave  J.   Couts  1872 

D.  B.  Hoffman 
G.    A.   Johnson 

1859  Frank  Ames,  C. 

E.  E.  Dovle 

J.  R.  Gitchell  1873 

J.  J.  Kendrick 
Geo.  A.  Johnson 

1860  R.   E.   Doyle,   C. ' 
James  Donahoe 

W.  W.  Ware  1874-5 

John  S.   Minter 
Jose  J.  Ortega 
Cave  J.  Couts 
J.   E.   Lassitor 

1861  G.  P.  Tebbetts,  C.  1876 
G.   A.  Johnson 

F.  Stone 
Juan  Machado 
J.   C.   Bogart 

1862  Geo.   A.   Johnson,    C. 

E.  G.  de  la  Eiva  1877 

Francisco  O.  Campo 
Geo.  P.  Tebbetts 
James  Donahoe 

1863  Geo.  P.  Tebbetts,  C. 

Frank   Stone  1878 

Marcus  Schiller 

Heyman  Mannasse 

C.  F.  Jaeger  1879 

1864  James  Donahoe,  C. 
Geo.  P.  Tebbetts 

Daniel  Cline  1880-2 

Geo.  "Williams 
C.  J.  F.  Jaeger 

1865  Louis   Eose  1883-4 
Cave  J.  Couts 

Joseph   Smith 

1866  Louis  Rose  1885 
Joseph    Smith 

1867  Joseph  S.  Mannasse 
Charles  Thomas 

1868  Joseph  S.  Mannasse 

Joseph  Divelbliss  1886 

1869  Joseph  S.  Mannasse 
Joseph  Divelbliss 
Charles  Thomas 

1870  E.  D.  French 

G.  W.  B.  McDonald  1887 
Joseph  C.  Riley 

John  Forster  ' 

Thos.  P.  Slade  1888 

1871  Thos.  P.  Slade 
J.  S.  Mannasse 
Charles  Thomas 

Wm.   Flinn  1889 


.Tohn  Forster 

Joseph  Divelbliss 

John   Forster 

L.  L.  Howland 

Andrew  Cassidy 

Josei:)h  Tasker 

.Joseph  Divelbliss 

Joseph  Tasker 

Andrew   Cassidy 

L.   L.   Howland 

John   Forster 

W.   G.  Hill 

Jacob  Bergman 

J.   Duffy 

Andrew  Cassidy 

F.  N.  Pauly 

David  W.  Briant 

Francisco  Estudillo 

David  Kenniston 

F.   Copeland 

.L  M.   Randolph,   sue.  by 

F.  E.  Farley 

D.  W.  Briant 

F.   E.  Farley 

Daniel  Kenniston 

F.    Copeland 

Francisco  Estudillo 

A.  Klauber 

D.  R.  Foss 

E.  O.   Ormsby 
A.  Klauber 

D.  R.  Foss 

E.  O.  Ormsby 
0.  H.  Borden 

S.  A.  McDowell 
James  M.  Pierce 
D.  W.  Briant 
S.  G.  Blaisdell 
J.   P.   M.   Rainbow 
D.   W.  Briant 
M.  Sherman 
Henry  Emery 
J.  M.  Woods 
Samuel   Hunting 
D.   W.  Briant 
M.  Sherman 
Henry  Emerv 
J.   M'.   Woods 
Samuel  Hunting 
.L  M.  Woods 
A.  J.  Stiee 
Henry  Emery 
Thos.  P.  Slade 
J.  M.   Woods 
A.  J.  Stice 
Henry  Emery 
J.   M.   Woods 


COUNTY  ROSTER 


725 


HOARD   OF    SUPERVISORS. Coilt. 


J.   S.    Huck 
J.  H.  Woolman 
Chester   Gunn 
A.  J.  Stice 

1890  J.  S.   Buck 

J.   S.   Woolman 
Chester   Gunn 

1891  J.  S.  Buck 
Chester  Gunn 
John  Judson 

J.  P.   M.   Eainbow 
J.  H.  Woolman 

1892  J.  S.  Buck 

J.  H.  Woolman 
Chester  Gunn 
John  Judson 
J.  P.  M.  Rainbow 

1893  A.  G.  Nason 
W.   W.   Wetzell 
Jas.   A.   Jasper 
John  Judson 

J.  P.  M.  Eainbow 

1894  James  A.  Jasper 
J.  P.  M.  Eainbow 
A.   G.   Nason 

W.  W.  Wetzell 
John  Judson 

1895  William  Justice 
John    Griffin 

1896  A.    G.    Nason 
W.  W.  Wetzell 
W.   Justice 
John   Griffin 

1897  H.  M.   Cherry 
C.    H.    Swallow 
Wm.  Justice 
John  Griffin 
Jas.    A.   .Tasper 


1898  H.   M.   Cli.-rry 
C.    ir.   Swallow 
Wni.  Justice 
John  Griffin 
Jas.   A.   .Tasper 

1899  Wm.  Justice 
John  Griffin 

C.   H.   Swallow 

1900  Wm.   .Justice 
.Tolin  Griffin 

C.   H.   Swallow 

1901  H.  M.  Cherry 
C.  H.  Swallow 
Jas.    A.   .Jasper 

1902  H.  M.  Cherry 
C.  H.  Swallow 
Jas.  A.  .Jasper 

1903  H.   M.   Chcrrv 
J.  M.   Cassidy 
Wm.    .Justii'e 
-John    Griffin 

1904  H.  M.  Cherry 
■J.  M.  Cassidy 
Win.    .Justice 
John   Griffin 

1905  H.   M.    Cherry 
J.  M.   Cassidy 
Wm.  .Justice 
.John    Griffin 

1906  H.  M.  Cherry 
J.  M.   Cassidj' 
Wm.  .Justice 
.John  Griflin 
H.   M.   Cherry 

1907  Jos.   Foster 

.J.  B.  Hoffman 
.John  Griffin 
H.   M.   Chorrv 


COUNTY   CLERK. 


1850-1     Eichard   Rust 
1852-3     Philip  Crosthwaite* 
1854-7     Wm.    B.    Couts* 
1858-71   G.  A.  Pendleton* 
1871        G.  A.  Pendleton  died 

Chalmers  Scott 
1872-7     A.   S.    Grant** 
1878-82  S.  S'tatler 
1883-8     J.   M.   Dodge 

COUNTY 

1850-1  Henrv   C.   Matsell* 

1852-3  Philip  Crosthwaite** 

1854-7  Wm.  B.  Couts** 

1858-70  G.  A.  Pendleton** 

1871  G.  A.  Pendleton  died** 


1889-90  M.    1).    Hamilton 
1891-2     Wm.  M.  Gassaway 
1893-4     S.  M.  Puyear 
1895-04  Will    IT.    ilohomb 
1905-6     Frank   A.  Salmons 
1907-       Wm.  IT.  Francis 
*And  Recorder 
**.\ud   .\ndit(ir 

RECORDER. 

Chalmers  Scott** 
1872-7     A.  S.   Granf 
1878-9     D.  A.  Joimson' 
1880-2     Gilbert   Ronnie** 
1883-4      E.  G.   Il;ii-:lit** 


726 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


COUNTY 

RECORDER- 

-Coiit. 

1885-6 

S. 

A.  McDowell** 

1893-6 

John  E.  Eorward 

1887-90 

E. 

G.    Haight** 

19U7- 

John  H.  Eeiry 

1891 

C. 

E.  Dauer** 

*And  Auditor 

1892 

E. 

H.   Miller* 

**And  Clerk 

1850 

1851 

1852 

1853 

1854-5 

1856-7 

1858-9 

1860 


COUNTY  TREASURER. 

Juan  Bandini  refused  office  1861-3     E.   W.  Morse 
Philip  Crosthwaite  appointed  1864-75  Jose    G.    Estudillo 


Philip  Crosthwaite 

Jose  A.  Estudillo 

John   Hays 

Jos.   Reiner 

E.  B.  Pendleton 

E.  W.   Morse 

Frank   Ames 


1876-7     Chauncey  B.  Culver 
1878-84  William  Jorres 
1885-90  S.   Statler 
1891-2     C.   H.   Sheppard 
1893-4     C.   D.   Long 
1895-8     John  W.  Thompson 
1899-       John  F.  Schwartz 


1891-2     E.   H.   Miller 


COUNTY   AUDITOR. 

1893-       E.  E.  Shaf3fer 


COUNTY    ASSESSOR. 


1850  Jose  A.  Estudillo 

1851  Dr.  F.  ,T.  Painter 

1852  S.  E.  Arguello 
A.   T.   Crowell 

1853  A.   T."  Crowell 

1854  Wm.    C.   Ferrell 

1855  Wm.  C.  Ferrell  res. 
E.  B.  Pendleton 

1856  Albert   Smith 

1857  Wm.   C.  Ferrell 
1858-9  Albeit  Smith 
1860-1  James   McCoy 
1862  Henry   Clayton 


1875-84  Aaron  Pauly 
1887        W.   W.   Burgess 
1888-9     W.    S.   Varuum 


1863-4  A.   E.  Maxcy 

1865-9  John  M.   Mclntier 

1870-1  Wm.  Smith 

1872-3  M.    S.   Julian 

1874-5  M.   P.   Sehaffer 

1876-9  David    Burroughs 

1880-6  M.  D.  Hamilton 

1887-90  J.   M.   Asher 

1891-4  C.  H.  Sheppard 

1895-8  .John  P.  Burt 

1899-04  Jacob  D.  Rush 

1905-6  G.   W.  Jorres 

1907-  M.  M.  Moulton 


COUNTY   COLLECTOR. 


1890-4     H.  W.  Weineke 
1895-       A.  P.   Cornell 


1850-1     Agostin  Haraszthy 

1852  Geo.  F.  Hooi^er 

1853  Wm.    Conroy 
1854-5     M.  M.   fe'exton 

1856  Jos.   Reiner 

1857  Jos.  Reiner  sue.  by 
D.  A.  Hollister 

1858-60  George   Lyons 

1861        George  Lyons  sue.  by 

James  McCoy 
1862-70  James  McCoy 
1871         James  McCoj^  sue  by 


SHERIFF. 

1872-4 

1875 

1876-82 

1883-6 

1887-90 

1891-2 

1893-4 

1895-02 

1903-6 

1907- 


S.  W.   Craigue 
S.  W.  Craigue 
N.   Hunsaker 
Jos.  A.  Coyne 
E.  W.  Bushyhead 
S.  A.  McDowell 
,Tohn  H.  Polks 
Ben  P.  Hill 
Frank  S.  Jennings 
Thos.  W.  Brodnax 
Fred   M.   .Jennings 


COUNTY  ROSTER 


727 


CORONKK. 

1850-1 

John    Brown 

1S72-3 

.lohii    N.    Voiiiij,' 

1852 

F.   M.   Alvaraclo 

1874-6 

C.   M.    Fonn 

Jolin  Brown 

1877 

Dr.  T.   C.   Stockton 

1853-4 

Lewis  A.  Franklin 

1878-9 

Dr.   ('.   SL   Feiin 

1855-6 

Dr.  D.  B.  Hoffman 

188U-3 

Dr.   r.   C.  .Stockton 

1857 

Dr.  D.  B.  Hoifman 

1885-8 

I>r.   11.  T.  Risdon 

1858 

James  Nieiiols 

1889-90 

Wni.    11.    Ivulori 

1859 

Lewis   Strauss 

1891-2 

M.   B.    K.4I.T 

1860 

Jos.  Eoincr 

1893-4 

II()rac<'    I'.    Wnodward 

1861-3 

A.   R.   Kelley 

1895-8 

Tlieo.    I'\  .lohii.sou 

1864-5 

Charles  Gerson 

1899-02 

Horace  P.  \Yoodward 

1866-7 

Thos.    Lush 

1903- 

Dr.   .\.   Morgan 

1868-71 

Dr.  Edward  Burr 

PIIYSICIAX. 

1856-68  Dr.  D.  B.  Hofifman 
1869-71  Dr.   Edward  Burr 
1872-3     Dr.  T.  C.  Stockton 
1874-6     Dr.  C.   M.  Fenn 
1877-84  Dr.   P.   C.   Eemondino 


1885-7  Dr.    ('.    .M.    Fenn 

iss^<  J)y_  Tlios.  Keefe 

l^^ii  111  Dr.  .1.  P.  Lc  Feu  re 

1892  Dr.  H.  E.  Crepin 

1893-  Dr.  D.  Ciochonauer 


SURVEYOR. 

1850-2 

Henry   Claytou 

1880 

L.  L.  Lockling 

1855 

Chas.   H.   Poole 

1881 

H.   J.   Willey 

1856-9 

Robert  W.  Groom 

1882 

Chas.   J.  Fox 

1860 

Henry  Clayton 

1883-6 

0.  X.  Sanford 

E.   W.  Morse 

1887-8 

Henry  L.  Ryan 

1861-3 

Robert   W.    Groom 

1889-90 

Henrv    Jjangrehr 

1864-7 

Henry   Clayton 

1891-2 

W.  W.  AlU'U 

1868-71 

James   Pascoe 

1893-8 

R.  M.    Vail 

1872-5 

M.   G.   Wheeler 

1899-02 

S.  L.  Ward 

1876-7 

Chas.  J.  Fox 

1903- 

A.  F.  Crowell 

1878-9 

M.   G.   Wheeler 

PUBLIC 

ADMINISTRATOR. 

1852 

Chas.  P.  Noell 

1878-9 

Dr.  C.   M.   Fenn 

1856 

J.  R.  Bleeker 

1880-3 

Dr.  T.  C.  Stockton 

1859 

Frank  Ames 

1884-5 

J.  M.  Ashcr 

1860-7 

0.   &'.  Witherby 

1886-8 

H.   C.  Morgan 

1868-9 

Jos.  Swycaflfer 

1889-90 

.Tolni   L.   Dryden 

1870-1 

Thos.  Sherman 

1891 

John   Falkcnstein 

1872-3 

A.  0.  Wallace 

1893-6 

C.  F.  Kamnian 

1874-5 

P.   P.   Martin 

1899-02 

J.  M.  Asher 

1876-7 

E.  W.  Morse 

1903- 

P.  .1.  Layne 

COUNTY    SUPERINTENDENT   OF  SCHOOLS. 

1856 

Frank  Ames 

1876-7 

F.   N.   Pauly 

1858 

J.   Judson    Ames 

1878-9 

E.  T.  Black mer 

1860-1 

Jose  M.  Estudillo 

1880-2 

G.  N.  Hitch<'ock 

1862-3 

A.   B.    Smith 

1883-7 

R.  D.  Butler 

1864-7 

Jose  M.  Estudillo 

1888 

G.  N.  Hitchcock 

1868-9 

Marcus   Schiller 

1889-94 

Harr    Wagner 

1870-1 

H.  H.  Dougherty 

1895-8 

W.   J.    Bailoy 

1872-3 

B.    S.    Laffcrty 

1899- 

Hugh  .1.  Baldwin 

1874-5 

J.   H.    S.   Jamison 

INDEX 


Aguilar,   Bias,  161. 

Agiiine,  Joso  A.,  161;  biography  of, 
161. 

Akerman,  J.  S.,  jiortrait  of,  631. 

Allen,  Di-.  Jacob,  first  postniaster, 
377. 

Alexander,  Capt.  E.,  portrait  of,  427. 

Alipas,  Damasio  and  Gcrvasio,  162. 
(See  "Spanish  Families.") 

Altamirano,  Jose  Antonio,  biography 
of,  162;  portrait  of,  240. 

Alvarado,  Pedro  de,  explorer,  28. 

Alverson,  C.  S.,  portrait  of,  450. 

American  National   Bank,   646. 

American  Families,   See  page  266. 

Ames,  John  Jiulson,  295  to  303. 

Andrews.  W.   R.,  portrait  of,  591. 

Arguello,  Santiago  E.,  takes  heights, 
204. 

Arguello,  Santiago,  acquires  mission 
property,  73;  portrait  of,  207; 
biography  of,   163. 

Arguilas,  Rosario,  161. 

Arnold,  G.  T.,  portrait   of,  457. 

Arrillaga,  Governor,  and  contraband 
trade.    92. 

Ascension,  Father   de   la,   32. 

Attorneys,  list  of,   596. 

Babcock,  E.  S.,  connection  with  elec- 
tric railway,  441;  portrait  of,  449; 
retirement  from  Spreckels  com- 
panies, 552;  purchase  and  develop- 
ment of  Coronado  peninsula.  706. 

Baker,  Mrs.  Arcadia  de,  portrait, 
203. 

Baker,  Dr.  Fred,  portrait   of,  605. 

Bandini,  Juan,  opposed  to  Victoria, 
119;  commissioners  to  Los  Angeles, 
125;  starts  revolution,  127;  por- 
trait of,  126;  biography  of,  164. 

Banks  and  Banking,  history  of,  636. 

Bank  of  San  Diego,  history  of,  636. 

Bank  of  Southern  California,  his- 
tory of,  637. 

Baptist  Church,  history  of,  550. 
Barnes,    Rev.    Charles    L..    portrait 
of,  545. 

Bartlett  Estate  Company,  525. 

Bates,  George  S.,  487. 

Bean,  Joshua  H.,  biography  of,  266. 
Beale.    Edward    F.,    advises    Kearny 
against    battle,    209;    portrait    of. 
215. 
Bee   Dailv.  historv   of.   493. 


"Bennington"   disaster,  5(i3. 
Berry,  Col.  Jnjin    H..   Ix-comcs  editor 

of    Union,    4S1;    appointed    collec- 
tor of  port,  486;  portrait  of.  486. 
Betsy,      first      American       .ship      in 

port,   80. 
Bidwell,  .John,  202-3. 
Blackmer,   E.  T.,  portrait   of,  656. 
Blake,   Walter   T.,   487;    portrait   of, 

493. 
F.lochmaii,  A..  557;  643;   portrait  of, 

644. 
Blochman   Banking   Co.,    historv   of, 

643. 
Blochman.    L.    A.,    643;    portrait    of, 

644. 
Board     of      Harbor     Commissioners, 

history  of,  691. 
Bogart,  Capt.  .T.  C,  35-138;  biographv 

of,  267. 
Boom  of  1887-89.  net  result  of.  433. 
Boone,  L.  L..  portrait  of,  514. 
Bowers,    W.    W.,    portrait    of.    466; 

takes    part    in    municipal    politics, 

470. 
Bowler.  Geo.  W.,  portrait   of,  457. 
Bouchard  Scare,  95. 
Briseno,  J.  N.,  479;  portrait  of.  482; 

acquires   interest    in   Daily  World, 

490. 
Brnschi.  ^l;irro.  portrait  of,  523. 
Bulletin  Weekly,  history  of,  488. 
"Bum,"    storv   of,   461;    picture   of, 

463. 
Bush,  Thomas  TT..  biography  of.  267. 
Bushyhead.   Edward    W..    joins    with 

Gatewood    in    establishing    Union, 

479. 
Cabrillo,   Don    .Tuan    Rodriqnez,   arri- 
val at  San  Diego.  27;  death  of.  31; 

celebration  in  memory  of.  458. 
Cairnes,  .\.  B..  portrait  of.  667;  670. 
California     Ts^ational     Bank,    history 

of.   639. 
Campbell,   Roy   H.,   566. 
Capps.  Edwin  M..  476. 
Capron.    John    G..    portrait    of.    255; 

his  mail  contract.  254. 
Carlos  TTT.   37. 
Carlson,  William  11..  472. 
Carnegie,      Andrew,      builds      public 

libra rv   for   city.    613. 
Carpenter.  Ford   A.,  portrait  of.  676. 
Carson,  ifrs..  p^ntrait  of.  251. 
Carter,  E.  J.,  port m it  of.  .521. 


730 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Carrillo  Family,  biographies  of,  167. 

Cassidy,  Andrew  D.,  biography  of, 
267. 

Cassidy,  Andrew,  34. 

Catholic   Church,  history  of,  537. 

Central  Christian  Church,  history  of, 
560. 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  history  of, 
624. 

Chase,  Major  Leyi,  portrait  of,  587. 

Choate,   D.,   portrait    of,   456. 

Churches,  histories  of;  Catholic,  537; 
Episcopal,  540;  Methodist,  546; 
Baptist,  550;  Presbyterian,  554; 
Hebrew,  556;  Unitarian,  557; 
Spiritual  Society,  558;  Congrega- 
tional, 558;  Christian,  560; 
Lutheran,  561;  Miscellaneous,  562; 
Y.  M.   C.  A.,  562. 

Citizens   Sayings  Bank,   646. 

Clayton,   William,   619. 

Cleyeland,  Daniel,  acknowledgment 
to,  18;  portrait  of,  542;  connec- 
tion with  Episcopal  Church,  544; 
connection  with  Library,   611. 

Cleveland,  Eichard  J.,  89! 

Climate  of  San  Diego,  history  of, 
675. 

Collier,  D.  C.  Jr.,  portrait  of,  508. 

Collins,  .T.  W.,  record  of.  639;  suicide 
of,  641. 

Commandants,  list  of,  96. 

Commercial  Bank  of  San  Diego,  his- 
tory of,  636. 

Conard,  Grant,  portrait  of,  521. 

Concordia  Turnyerein,  577. 

Congregational  Church,  history  of, 
558. 

Conklin.  X.  H.,  490;  portrait  of, 
588;    .593. 

Connors,  .Tames  W.,  biography  of, 
268. 

Cooke,  George,  ]iortrait  of,  620. 

Coronado,  account  of,  706-709. 

Coronado  Beach    Co.,   707. 

Cortes,   Hernando,   28. 

Cosgroye,  Arthur,  portrait  of,  517. 

Costanso,  42. 

Cotton,  O.  W.,  portrait   of,   512. 

Couts,   Cave  J.,  biography  of,  268. 

Crabtree,  Eev.  W.  E.,  portrait  of, 
561. 

Crespi,  Father  Juan  .lose  Canizares, 
arrival  at  San  Diego,  43. 

Croghan,  Herbert  A.,  portrait  of, 
663. 

Crowell,   Archie  F.,  portrait   of,   473. 

Crosthwaite,     Philip,    biography    of. 


269;   portrait  of,  271. 
Cyane,  arrives  with  troops,  201. 
Daily  Bee,  history  of,  493. 
Daily  San  Diegan,  history  of,  492. 
Daily  World,  history  of,  489. 
Dana,    Richard    Henry,    portrait    of, 

102;    quoted,  144;    147;    245. 
Daney,  Eugene,  595. 
Darnall,  Thomas  R.,  account  of,  273; 

portrait    of,    652;    adventure    with 

Mexicans     in     Lower     California, 

653. 
Dare,  D.  D.,  640. 
Davidsou,    G.    Aiibrey,   portrait      of, 

645. 
"Davis's    Folly,"    (See    account    of 

"Abortive    Attempt    to    establish 

New  San  Diego"),  316. 
Davis,  William  Heath,  139;  portrait 

of,    108;    dedicated    first    park    in 

New   San   Diego,    621. 
Davison,    Mrs.    H.    P.,    acknowledg- 
ment to,   18;    612. 
Deed  of  sale  of  Mission  pro2:)erty  to 

Arguello,   copy  of,   73. 
Derl>y,    Lieut.    George    H.,    first    im- 
pressions   of,    242;    his    connection 

with  the  Herald,  306-315;   portrait 

of,  313. 
D'Hemecourt,  G.  A.,  portrait  of,  533. 
Doolittle,  H.  E.,  595. 
Dunnells  Hotel,  purchase  of  bv  Hor- 

ton,  337. 
Dunnells,    Capt.    S.    S.,    portrait    of, 

338. 
Duhaut-Cilly,  134. 
Dupont,  Captain,  201. 
Echeandia,  Governor,  arrival  of,  115; 

136;   biography  of,   168;    efforts  in 

behalf  of   Schools,  569. 
"El   Capitau,"  old   cannon,   91. 
"El  Nino,"  old  cannon.  91. 
Election,    first,    with    roll    of    voters, 

228. 
Elks  Lodge,   history  of,   657. 
Elliott,  Dr.  A.  J.,  portrait  of.  605. 
Emorv,     Major,     describes     town    in 

1846,  238.' 
Ensworth,    E.   S.,   account    of.   273. 
Episcopal  Church,  history  of,  540. 
Estudillo,  .lose  G.,  portrait  of.  239. 
Estudillo     Family,     biographies     of, 

169. 
Ferdinand  VII,  7L 
Fergusson,  Major   S.    W.,  514. 
Ferrell,  Wm.   C.,  biography   of,    273; 

record  as  lawyer,  582. 


INDEX 


731 


Ferry,  Johu   H.,  portniit  of,  475. 

Figueroa,  Governor,  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  divide  mission  prop- 
erty,  72. 

Fire  Department,   history   of,   665. 

First  National  Bank,  history  of,  637. 

Fishhurn,  George  W.,  portrait  of, 
640. 

Fisheries,  107. 

Fitch,  Henry  D.,  portrait  of,  124; 
biography  of,  274. 

Fitch,  Thomas  L.,  his  famous  real 
estate  advertisements,  of  boom 
days,   423. 

Fletcher,  Ed,  i>ortrait  of,  513. 

Flume   Company,  history   of,   445. 

Folsom,   M.   W.,   portrait   of,  512. 

Foresters,  various  lodges  of,  659. 

Forster,  John,  biography  of,  274. 

Forward,  John  F.,  portrait  of,  472. 

Francis,  W.    H.,   portrait  of,  475. 

Franciscans,   dress   of,   65. 

Frary,  Frank  P.,  portrait  of,  470; 
elected    mayor,    477. 

Fraternal   Societies,  history  of,   648. 

Fremont,  Gen.  John  C,  arrives  at 
San  Diego,  201;  moves  on  to  Los 
Angeles,   202;    354. 

French,  C.  W.,  515. 

Friend,  Capt.  James  Edward,  his 
race  for  mayoralty,  474. 

Fuster,  Father,  56;  fight  with 
Indians,  58. 

Galvez,   Don  Joseph   de,  37. 

Garra,  Antonio,  clashes  with  sheriff, 
186;  leads  insurrection,  187;  ex- 
ecution of,  190. 

Garrettson.  D.  F.,  637. 

Gatewood,  Wm.  Jeff,  forms  partner- 
ship with  Bushyhead  and  estab- 
lishes Union,  479;  portrait  of, 
481;  establishes  Daily  World,  490; 
record  as  lawver,  583. 

Gerichten,  C.  P.',  491. 

Gigedo,  Vicerov,  orders  schools  es- 
tablished,  568. 

Gillespie,  Capt.,  goes  to  meet  Kear- 
nv.  209;  wounded  at  San  Diego, 
213. 

Gillmore,  Jesse,  457. 

Gilmore,  M.  T.,  637;  638;  portrait 
of,  644. 

Gitchell,  .J.  E.,  account  of,  275. 

Gochenauer,  Dr.  David,  portrait  of, 
606. 

Golden   Gate,  wreck  of,   251. 

Goldkamp,  F.  J.,  portrait   of,  473. 


Gd'.tUjii,   11.   (.;.,  portr:iit    ..f,    I.",;. 
Gould,   Will   11.,  cstaldisiics  Bulletin, 

488;  portrait  of,  488. 
Governmental   activities,  history   of 

697.  •         ' 

Gnmgor,  Ralpli,  portrait  of,  5u!);  .-,22. 
(irant,    IT.    s.    Jr.,    portrait    of,    511: 

522;   619. 
Gray,  Andrew  B.,  biography  of.  275; 

leader  in   first  effort  to  "build  city 

on   present  site,  31(). 
Gregg,   Dr.   Robert  J.,   601;    portrait 

of,  602. 
Griffin,  Dr.  J.  S.,  portrait  of,  600. 
Grove,  Dr.  Edward,  portrait  of,  631. 
Grow,  Galusha  B.,  portrait  of,  643. 
Gunn,     Douglas,     portrait     of,     465; 

elected  first   mayor   under   charter 

of     1889,     467;     associated     with 

Bushyhead  in  publication  of  Union, 

483;  builds  Express  Block,  485. 
Guy,  W.  R.,  portrait  of,  579;   581. 
Haddock,  .T.  P.,  portrait  of,  519. 
Hall,  M.,  portrait  of,  517. 
Harbor    of    Ban    Diego,    opinions    of 

distingnished  men   on,  687. 
llard.v,  Cliarles  S.,  portrait  of,  477. 
Haves,    Benjamin,    583;    portrait    of, 

585. 
Hays,   .John,   account   of,   276. 
Hearne,   Dr.   Josepli    C,   portrait   of, 

605. 
Hebrew     Congregation,     history     of, 

556. 
Hendrick,   E.    W.,    portrait    of,    594; 

596. 
Herald    (see   cliapter   on    Journalism 

of  Old  San  Diego),  295. 
Hide     trade,     beginnings     of.     101; 

houses,  103;  list  of  ships,  104;  ex- 
tent of  industry,  104. 
Hieatt,  F.   L.,   portrait   of.   516. 
Hijar  Colony,  121. 
Hinson,  Rev.  W.  B.,  551;  portrait  of, 

553. 
[loffman.    Dr.    David    B.,    biography 

of;  276;  portrait  of.  599. 
Holbein,   Father  .Tuan,   557. 
Holcomb,   Will   H.,    quoted.   75;    por- 
trait of.  499;  501;  connection  with 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  565. 
HolUday  Steamship  Line,  forced  by 

Horton  to  reduce  rates,  343. 
Houghton.  S.  O..  355. 
Horton.  .\lonzo  E..  sketch  of  his  life 

before  coming  to  San  Diego,  325; 

estimate  of  his  work.  327.;  his  ovm 


732 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


story,    330;    portraits    of    333-33-i; 
copv  of  deed  to  city  land  to,  350. 

Hubbard.    W.   H.,  portrait  of,   646. 

Hudson,     Millard     F.,     acknowledg- 
ment to,  18. 
Hunter,    Diego,    first    child    born    of 
American   pai'ents,   228. 

Hunsaker,  W.  J.,  593. 

Indians,  Costanso's  description  of, 
42;  attack  mission,  57;  treatment 
of  by  priests,   61. 

Irwin,  I.  Isaac,  portrait  of,  518. 

Israel,  Capt.  Eobert  D.,  biography 
of,   276. 

Itata,   incident  of,  459. 

Itiirbide,  71. 

Jasper,  James  A.,  624;  portrait  of, 
630. 

Jaume,  Father,  murder   of,  58. 

Jewell,  Fred,  portrait  of,  644. 

Johnson,  Carl  Alex.,  portrait  of,  646, 

Jordan,  Eev.  H.   S.,  556. 

Josselyn,  Charles  L.,  portrait  of,  518. 

Julian,  Jacob  M.,  portrait  of,  490; 
492. 

Kearny,  Gen.  S.  W.,  notified  Stock- 
ton of  his  approach,  208;  esti- 
mate of,   224;   portrait   of,   226. 

Kelly,  Charles,  portrait  of,  473. 

Kelly,  Eobert  A.,  biography  of,  277, 

Kimball  Brothers,  their  part  in 
building  of  National   City,   713. 

Kimball,  Frank  A.,  efforts  to  interest 
railroad  promoters,  392;  succeeds 
in  getting  contracts  from  Santa 
Fe  to  build  road,  396;  portrait  of, 
395. 

Kimball,  Warren  C,  portrait  of,  409. 

Kip,   Bishop,   542. 

Kirby,  Lewis  E.,  portrait  of,  475. 

Klauber,  A.,  portrait  of,  523. 

Klauber,  Melville,  portrait  of,  519. 

Knights  of  Pythias,  history  of,  657. 

Knoles,  S.   S.,  portrait  of,  594;   596. 

Kurtz,  Daniel  B.,  biography  of,  277; 
portrait  of,  278. 

La  Jolla,  account  of,  711;  view  of, 
712. 

Land  Grants,  earliest  private,  105; 
effect  of,   106;   list  of,  112. 

Leach,  Eobert  Wallace,  588. 

Legal  profession,  history  of,  582. 

Leila  Byrd,  affair  of,  89. 

Levi,  Simon,  portrait  of,  631. 

Library,  Public,  history  of,  610; 
list    of    trustees,    613. 


Lighthouse    on   Point    Loma,    historj' 

of,   701. 
Luce,     M.    A.,    acknowledgment     to, 

18;   portrait  of,  403;    591;    596. 
Lummis,   Charles  F.,  40. 
Lutheran   Church,   history  of,   5(;i. 
Lynch,   Joseph   D..   portrait    of,    489; 

editor  of  Daily  World,  490. 
Lyons,  George,  biography  of,  277. 
McCarthy,    D.    O.,    portrait    of,    402; 

establishes  Vidette,   494. 
McCarthy,   ,J.   Harvey,   494. 
McCoy,   James,    biography    and   por- 
trait of,  279. 
McDonald,  Eev.  G.  W.  B.,  organizes 

First   M.   E.   Church,   546. 
McGregor,  Miss  Margaret,  quotation 

from,    34. 
McXealy,    W.    T.,    584;    portrait    of, 

586;  591. 
MacMullen,  James,  portrait   of,  487. 
Mackinnon,      Duncan,     portrait      of, 

572;    577. 
Magruder,      Gen.     John      Bankhead, 

190;   portrait  of,   193;   582;    697. 
Mamudes,   Eafael,    198. 
Mannasse,  Joseph   A.,  biographv  of, 

278;    portrait    of,    348. 
Marston,   George  W.,  .564;   612;   616; 

portrait  of,  618. 
Masonic  Lodge,  opposition  of  Father 

Holbein  to,  537;   history  of,   648. 
IVfedical   profession,    historv   of,    .598. 
]\rendoza,   28. 

Merchants   National  Bank,   642. 
Methodist   Church,   history  of,   546. 
Mexican   War,   San   Diego   in,   200. 
Middletown  project,  321. 
Military    post     at     San     Diego,    698 

reservation    on    Point    Loma,    699; 

historv    of    government's    title    to, 

700. 
Mills,   Henry   E.,   portrait    of,   .594. 
Mission  of  San  Diego,  dedication  of, 

47;   Indians,  description  of,  48-49; 

site  of,   55;    destroyed  by  Indians, 

57;   re-established,  60;   description 

of,  in  1783,  63;  first  olive  orchard 

in    California,    63;    Indian    lands, 

198. 
Molinier,  Father  Juan,  537. 
Mormon  Battalion,  arrival  of,  228. 
Morrell,   Benjamin  Jr.,   134. 
Morris,    Madge,    portrait    of,    495. 
Morse,    E.    W.,    acknowledgment    to, 

18;   quotation  from,  33;  biography 

of,  281;  portrait  of,  283;  comment 


INDEX 


7:« 


on  Iluiitiiigtoirs  attitucle  toward 
San  Diego,  365;  describes  school 
situation  in  early  days.  571;  con- 
nected with  library,  611;  connec- 
tion with  parks,  616. 
Morse,  Philip,  connection  with  Y.  M. 

C.  A.,   566;   portrait   of,  631. 
Moulton,   M.  M.,  portrait   of,  475. 
Nash,    Joseph,    opens    first     general 

store,  377. 
National  Bank  of  Commerce,  history 
of,  638;  consolidation  with  Securi- 
ty Savings  Bank  &  Trust  Co.,  647. 
National    City,    713. 
National   Guards^   history  of,   661. 
Nesmith,    Thomas    L.,    chairman    of 
railroad  committee   of  forty,   355; 
portrait  of,  359. 
Noell,  Charles  P.,  biography  of,  285; 

portrait   of,   332. 
Normal  School,  history  of,  580. 
Noyos.   William   H..   285. 
Ntitt.   A.   E..   portrait   of,   469. 
O'Cain,  Captain.  92. 
Odd    Fellows,    historv    of    the    order. 

655. 
Otay  Water   Company,  448. 
Otis,   Harrison   Grav,  becomes  presi- 
dent   of    Pacific    Steel    Co.,    518; 
comment  of  on   Coronado   in   1886, 
707. 
Pacific  Beach,  history  of,  710. 
Pacific   Coast   Steamship   Co.,   250. 
Pacific   Mail  Steamship   Co.,  250. 
Pacific  Steel  Company,  518. 
Pala,  mission    founded  at,  70. 
Palms,  first  in  California.  99. 
Palou,   Father.   43. 
Panama    Steamship    Line,   238. 
Parker.  Dr.  P.  J.,  portrait  of.  605. 
Parks,  city,  story  of.  616. 
Parmalee.     E.     F.,     acknowledgment 
to,  18;  his  connection  with  Union, 
and  portrait  of,  487. 
Parron,  Father,   51. 
Pattie,  James  O.,  taken  prisoner  by 

Echeandia,   134. 
Pedrorena,  Miguel  de.  biography  of, 

172. 
Pendleton.  George  A.,  biographv  of, 

285;  portrait  of,  332. 
Perez.  Captain,  arrival  at  San  Diego 

with  San  Antonio,  53. 
Pequero,   Captain.   33. 
Peyri,    Father    Antonio,    mission    at 

San   Luis  Rev,  founded  bv,   70. 
Philip  II,   31.   ' 


(See      Lioiit. 


I'hilip   HI,   32. 

"Phoenix,       .John.' 

Derby.) 
I'hysiciaiis,    list    of,    Ons. 
Pico.    Gen.    Andres,    biography    of, 
173;   at  San  Pasqiial,  210-223;    his 
generalship,   224;   portrait   of,' 22.".. 

Pico,  Pio,  portrait  of,  115. 

Picos,   biographies   of,    173. 

Pinta,  history  of,  705. 

Plaza,  history  of,  345. 

Point  Lomri  Forest,  33. 

Point  Loma,  its  historical  interest, 
715;  Universal  Brotherhood  :ind 
Theosophical    Society,   716. 

Poole,  Charles  H..  biography  of,  2S6. 

Politics,  local,  history  of,  464. 

Port  of  San  Diego,  collectors  of,  702; 
statement  showing  entrances  and 
clearances   of  vessels,  etc.,   704. 

Porterfield,  W.  H.,   portrait  of,  492. 

Portola,  Governor.  40;  return  from 
Monterey,  52. 

Postmasters,  record  of  from  the  bo- 
ginning,    705. 

Powers,  Dr.  R.  M..  638. 

Presbyterian  Church,  historv  of.  5.")4. 

Presidio  Hill,  present  appearance  of, 
81;  plan  of,  83-86;  population  of 
1800.  87. 

Public  affairs  after  the  war.  228. 

Public    Utilities,    gas    cojupany.    his- 

•  tory  of,  435;  telephone  companies, 
history  of,  436;  street  improve- 
ments, 437;  street  railways,  his- 
tory of,   438. 

Pueblo  organized.  124. 

Puterbaugh,  George,  portrait  of,  590; 
592;   636. 

Railroads.  San  Diego  and  Gila,  or- 
ganized, 352;  Mem])his  &  El  Pasn. 
353;  San  Diego  &  Fort  Yuma.  354; 
Texas  and  Pacific.  354;  Santa  Fe, 
391;  San  Diego-Eastern.  515;  San 
Diego  &  Arizona,  529. 

Ralston    Realty   Company,  525. 

Rancho  del  Rey,  100. 

Reed,  D.  C,  portrait  of.  468:  elected 
Mayor,  476. 

Rcmondino.  Dr.  P.  C.  603;  portrait 
of,  604. 

Restarick.  Rev.  Henry  B.,  portrait 
of.  545. 

Reynolds.    Rev.   .Tolin.   First   Episco 
pal  rector,  541. 

Richards,  H.  T..  514,  515. 


734 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO 


Eico,  Francisco,   202. 

Eivera,  Captain,  40. 

Eobinson,  Alfred  C,  quoted,  61;  on 
life  at  Mission,  60;  marriage  of, 
144;   portrait  of,  246. 

Eobinson,  James  W.,  biography  of, 
286;  connection  with  first  railroad 
enterprise,  352;  portrait  of,  355; 
record  as  lawyer,  582. 

Eogers,  I.  D.,  portrait  of,  521. 

Eogers,  W.  E.,  638;  portrait  of,  645. 

Eolfe,  C.  D.,  portrait  of,  711. 

Eose,  Lonis,  portrait  of,  258;  his 
many  enterprises,  259;  biography 
of,  287. 

Eosecrans,  Gen.  William  S.,  dealings 
with   Horton,  337. 

Eoseville,  709. 

Eowan,  Lient.,   202. 

Eniz,  pioneer  gardener,   99. 

Salmons,  Frank  A.,  porti-ait  of,   513. 

San  Antonio,  arrival  at  San  Diego, 
40-49;  tinielv  return  with  supplies, 
53. 

San  Carlos,  arrival  at  San  Diego, 
40-49. 

San  Diegan-Sun,  history  of,  491. 

San  Diego,  source  of  title  to  city 
lands,  386. 

San  Diego  de  Alcala,  name  of  city 
derived  from,   33. 

San  Diego  Daily  News,  491. 

San  Diego  Dally  World,  quotation 
from,  34. 

San  Diego  &  Arizonn  Eailroad,  an- 
nouncement of,  529. 

San  Diego-Eastern  Eailway  Com- 
pany, 515. 

San  Diego  Savings  Bank,  historv  of, 
638. 

San  Diego  Union,  history  of,  479. 

San  Luis  Eev,  Mission  founded  at, 
70. 

San  Pasqual,  b;ittle  of,  210-223; 
sketch  of,  217. 

San  Salvador,  27. 

Santa  Fe  Eailway,  achievement  of 
Frank  A.  Kimball  in  bringing  the 
road  here,  392;  California  South- 
ern Eailroad  chartered,  404;  first 
train,  406;  bad  faith  of,  407;  copy 
of  articles  of  agreement  between 
the  city  and,  408. 

Savings  Bank  of  San  Diego  County, 
history  of,  637. 

Schiller,   Marcus,  l)iography   of,   288. 


Schools,  history  of,  568. 

Scott,   Thomas   A.,   visits   San   Diego 

in  interest  of  Texas  &  Pacific,  356; 

f;ii]s   financiallv,   360;    jtortrait    of, 

364. 
Scripps,   E.    W.,    acquires    ownersliip 

of  Sun,  491. 
Sea  Elephant,  109. 
Security    Savings    Bank    and    Trust 

Co.,  history  of,   639;    consolidation 

with  National  Bank  of  Commerce, 

647. 
Sedgwick,  Gen.  Thomas  S.,  354;  con- 
nection with  Texas  &  Pacific,  362. 
Sefton,  J.  W.,  portrait  of,  641. 
Sehon,   Mavor   John   L.,   portrait   of, 

471;  elected  Mayor,  478,  528. 
Sensenbrenner,    August,    portrait    of, 

519. 
Serra,  Junipero,  39;   portrait   of,  42; 

letter  of;  43. 
Serrano,  Jose  A.,  biography  of,  175; 

portrait  of,  263. 
Shaw,  Eev.  S.  J.,  portrait  of,  555. 
Shaffer,   E.   E.,  portrait   of,  474. 
Sherman,   Mathew,  portrait   of,   467; 

elected   Mayor,   470. 
Shute,  Eichard  A.,  portrait  of,  669. 
Simons,  J.  J.,  516. 
Sixth  Street  Bank,  646. 
Sloane,  Joshua,  biography  of,  288. 
Sloane,  W.  A.,  594. 
Smith,   Albert  B.,  spikes   guns,   203; 

raises    American    flag,    204;    biog- 
raphy  of,   288. 
Smith,  Earle  Davenport,   567. 
Smith,   J.   P.,   becomes    secretary   of 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,   564. 
Smith,  Jediah  S.,   134. 
Smith,  Mountain,  64. 
Smith,  Sam  Ferry,  595. 
Smith,   Walter   Gifford,   quoted,   426; 

491;  portrait  of,  497;  501. 
Smythe,   William   E.,   old    town  .  ora- 
tion,  226;    literary  activities,   501. 
Social  life  in  Old  San  Diego,  142. 
Solis  rebellion,   117. 
Southern    Trust    and    Savings    Bank, 

647. 
South  Park  and  East  Side  Ey.,  442. 
Spiritual  Society,  history  of,  558. 
Spreckels,   John    D.    and    Adolph    B. 

become     owners     of     San     Diego 

Union,  486. 
Spreclcels,  John  D,  522-530;  portrait 

of,  531. 


INDEX 


735 


Sprigg,  Patterson,  477,  595. 

Stevens,  Horace,  491. 

Stewart,  John  C,  account  of,  289. 

Stockton,  Com.  Eobert  F.,  arrives  in 
Congress,  204;  fortifies  town,  204; 
despatches  Gillespie  to  meet  Kear- 
ny,   208;    portrait    of,    211. 

Stockton,  Dr.  Thomas  C,  491,  602; 
portrait  of,  603. 

Storv,  W.  W.,  poem  on  Coronado, 
706. 

Strahlniann  E.,  portrait  of,  519. 

Street  railways,  history  of,  438. 

Suburbs  of  San  "Diego,  account  of, 
706. 

Sun,  San  Diegan,  quoted,  530. 

Sutherland.  Thomas  W.,  biography 
of,  290;   record  as  lawyer,  582. 

Swayne,   E.   J.,   portrait    of,   521. 

Sweetwater  Dam,  construction  of, 
448. 

Taggart,  Charles  P.,  buys  Gate- 
wood's  interest  in  Union,  481;  rec- 
ord as  lawyer,  589. 

Taggart,  Mrs.  C.  P..  491. 

Tavlor,  Bavard,  visit  of,  239. 

Taylor,  Rev.  R.  B.,  556. 

Tent   City,   account  of,  709. 

Telephone  companies,  history  of,  436. 

Theaters,  history  of,  456. 

Theosophical  Societv  at  Point  Loma, 
716 

Thorpe,  Rose  Hart  wick,  portrait  of, 
498.   713. 

Timken,  Henry,   portrait   of,  515. 

Tinglev,  Katherine,  520;  portrait  of, 
716.' 

Torrance.  E.  S.,  portrait  of,  5S9;592. 

Torrey  Pines,  623. 

Truman,  Major  Ben  C,  comment  on 
San  Diego's  first  boom,  366;  pur- 
chases half  interest  in  Bulletin, 
488;  portrait  of,  489;  501. 

Ubach,  Father  Antonio  D.,  biography 
of,  175;   portrait  of,  538. 

Union,  history  of,  479. 

Unitarian  Society,  history  of,  557. 

Universal  Brotherhood  and  Theo- 
sophical Society,  716. 

U.  S.  Geographic  Survey,  report  of, 
in  1879,  29. 

A^ancouver,  visit  and  comment  of, 
84-85. 

Van  Dvke,  Theodore  S.,  comment  on 
boom  of  1887-89;  414;  portrait  of, 
415;    "Story  of  the   Boom,"   418; 


origi ii.it OS  flume  enterprise,  445; 
50 1 . 

Valle,  Dr.  C.  C,  portrait  of,  607. 

Vicente,  Father  Oliva,  537. 

Victoria,  Governor,  arrival  of,  118; 
(liglit  of,  119. 

Victoria,  ship,  27. 

Vldette  San  Diego,  liistory  of,  404. 

Vigerano,  .lose  Maria,  death  of,  51. 

Vigilantes,   executed    Indians,    195. 

Viscaino,  Don  Sebastian,  32-35;  at- 
tacked by  Indians,  51. 

Wadham,  James  E.,  477. 

Wagner,  Harr,  494;  portrait  of,  495; 
710. 

Waite,  F.  D.,  492;  portrait  of,  493. 

Wallace,  Rev.  R.  G.,  portrait  of,  555. 

Wangenheim  Julius,  connection  with 
citv  Park,  619;  638;  portrait  of, 
645. 

Ward,  M.  L.,  portrait  of,  469. 

Warfield,  Charles  L.,  portrait  of,  516. 

Warner,  Col.  Jonathan  T.,  in  Garra 
fight,  187;  portrait  of,  188;  biogra- 
phy of,  290. 

Water  development,  history  of,  443. 

Waterman,  Gov.  Robert  W.,  portrait 
of,  429. 

Waterman,    Waldo    S.,    portrait    of. 

440. 
Watson,    Rev.    E.    R.,    portrait    of. 

557. 
Watts.  Nathan,  acknowledgment  to, 

18. 
Webster,   E.   Bartlett.   442;    portrait 

of,  510. 
Wentscher,   A.,   491. 
Western  Union   Telegraph   Company, 

established   in   San   Diego.  344. 
Whalev,  Thomas,  biography  of,  290; 

portrait  of.  291. 
Wlialey,    IMrs.    Thomas,    portrait   of, 

291. 
Whaling  trade,   109. 
Wilbur.  Rev.  Sidney,  arrival  at  San 

Diego,  543;  ]>ortrait  of,  543. 
Wilde?  Louis  J.,  portrait  of,  507 
Williams,  Charles  L..  portrait  of.  64."). 
Wilson,    Warren,   491. 
Witherbv,   .Tudge    Oliver    S..   l^iogra- 

phy  of.  292;  record  as  lawyer,  58-; 

portrait  of,  584. 
Withington,   D.  L.,   portrait  of,  469. 
Wood,  H.  P..  624.  portrait  of.  630. 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  660. 
Woohnan,  Claude,  portrait  of.  473. 


HISTORY  OF  SAN  DIEGO  736 

Works,  John   D.,  591.  Ybarra    family    massacre,    183. 

World,   490.  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  history  of,  562. 

Wright,  Leroy  A.,   quoted,  .374;   por-  „  .  ,•      ^t-        .       i      n 

trnit  of    469-   501  Zamorano,   Augustm    Vicente,   leader 

Wrightington,  Thomas,  biography  of,  o^  rebellion,  120;  portrait  of,  120; 

293.  biography    of,    177. 


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